


The Wolf's Choice

by Dragonstones



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bucky Barens Acting as Winter Soldier's Parental Figure, Bucky Barnes & Winter Soldier are Different Personalities, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes parenting the Winter Soldier, Gen, M/M, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Tags will change as story goes on, This will eventually become winteriron, Winter Soldier Goes By Frost, Winter Soldier as a Separate Personality, Winter Soldier's Own Body, it's a slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:00:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23904250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragonstones/pseuds/Dragonstones
Summary: Bucky didn't know what had happened. He was standing near the weights then the next thing he knew, there's a flash of red and he's on the ground.His head is swimming. But from what he can tell, he's ok. And so is the kid.Wait...Kid?Follow Bucky as he looks for redemption and the sudden aspect of fatherhood.Wait, did they just say this kid is the Winter Soldier?!
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark
Comments: 27
Kudos: 174





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Finally, the Main Stroy to the three one-shots I posted is here.  
> The AU name is "The Wolf's Choice" or TWC for short.

Bucky didn’t know what’s going on around him most of the time. And truthfully, one can not blame him for not knowing. With the many trips to Cryo and Hydra frying his brain in The Chair, it’s very easy for Bucky to be confused all the time. From all the life that Bucky knew was only three rules he's trained to follow. Do not disobey orders, complete orders, and survive. Hydra had drilled these into him. If he broke any of these, then it’s back to The Chair for him. His brain would be fried into a blank canvas and the training would start all over again. 

So, when Rogers, his mission broke through the control and mind whip, Bucky didn’t know what was going on. His brain had short-circuited. Fragmented memories that have been suppressed for over 70 plus years began to come back to him. It was then on the Helicarrier, Bucky realized that the man that was his mission is his friend from long ago. Was that the reason why he pulled the man from the water when he fell? Bucky didn’t know, still doesn’t know. He felt like it was the right thing to do. 

He had run from Hydra after pulling Rogers from the river. For two years Bucky had stayed hidden as much as he could. He did his best to blend into society and stay under Hydra’s radar. He was doing rather well for himself in Bucharest, that was until Rogers found him. Bucky had vague memories of the man, but something Bucky knew is that trouble follows this man. At least this is the conclusion that he’s come too. After everything that happened; Bucky knew this one thing. 

If Rogers is there, then a fight is sure to follow. 

Once Bucky had arrived in Wakanda, he had decided to go under Cryo again. It was the best option he saw. With everything that Hydra put in his head, Bucky knew he wasn't safe. He wasn’t safe to be around and wasn’t safe to himself. So, he requested to be in Cryo until something can be done with the trigger words. In truth, Bucky didn’t think anything could be done. But to his amazement and wonderful surprise, something had been done. Shuri, the young princess, had found a way to disable the words. Bucky could cry but held himself together. Instead, he hugged the small girl, being mindful to not crush her. 

Bucky knew that he'd take a while to adjust to being out of Cryo again. Cryo always has been harsh. But knowing that he’s free from the words, helps. Bucky was given a little farmhouse of his own. He was given some goats and chickens. Just something to help get his mind off of his past and to give him some work. One of his goats, a female white named Ruth, loves to follow Bucky around. She follows him around as he makes his rounds. He goes into the feed shed, she’s right at the door waiting for him. Helping another farmer load horse bedding that he’s keeping on his farm? She’s right there watching him. She even tries to help! Though standing on the bags and bleating isn’t what Bucky would call help. Though something Bucky has noticed is that Ruth doesn’t tend to like people. She’ll headbutt them or bite, so there are times he has to put her up in the pen. 

Bucky tends to work himself into exhaustion, then he makes dinner and heads to bed. Once his head hits the pillow, he’s out like a light and doesn’t wake up until his alarm goes off. Though, his goats have woken him up in the middle of the night once in a while. But most nights he sleeps throughout the night. This is his life; Wake up, feed the goats and chickens, breakfast, some heavy lifting, lunch. For lunch, Bucky would make a sandwich or soup and some water. Sometimes he’ll have juice if he feels like it. After lunch, he has a 30 to 45-minute break. Once the break is over he gets back to his farm and finishes his chores. Once chores have been finished, Bucky would make dinner and relax. Then he shipped himself off to bed.

And this is how Steve found him one day. Kneeling and pouring a bag of goat feed into a larger container that he uses for storing. Bucky had given the goats and chickens their morning feed. And had finished putting away his tools for this particular chore. Steve had asked Bucky to join him and some of the Rogues in training today. Bucky didn’t have anything going on this afternoon. The farmer that had to store the horse bedding had come to collect the rest yesterday. So for once, the one-armed man was free for an afternoon. Bucky agreed and this is how he ended up in the gym inside the Rouges Villa. 

In the gym were Steve, Natasha, Clint, Wanda, and someone he didn’t recognize. This new person, who is dressed like a monk, appears to be helping Wanda. Bucky blinked but chose to ignore the two. Maybe this monk guy is part of the team and hasn’t met him before. But, if he was on the team, why wasn’t he at the airport? Bucky shook his head and turned his attention to the weights. He hasn’t lifted in a while and wondered how much he could deadlift in arm curls. He didn’t think being single-armed would cause him too much trouble. He turned back to look at the monk looking man and the witch. Something Bucky noticed is how on edge everyone else looked. Natasha and Steve were the most rigged. And the Witch, Wanda appears agitated. Bucky shrugged and went to pick up a dumbbell. 

But there was a flash of red and then yelling. 

Bucky blinks and looks around. Everything seems larger than him. Like a small child looking around a room that is much, much larger than they are. But, he’s not a child. He is a full-grown adult male. Bucky feels his head swimming and looks down at his own body. He’s as he remembers. Tall, bulky, and still in the same clothes thrown on this morning. But, he does note that he’s laying on his back. How did that happen? When did he fall? Why did he fall? And why does his whole body ache? All Bucky knows is that he doesn’t feel too good and would like a nap.  
Something appears in the profile of his vision. It’s blurry and...small? Bucky blinks and turns to see what this small thing is. And to his surprise, Bucky finds a child staring at him. The child’s eyes are blue and filled with fear. Brown hair frames a pudgy face. The bottom is being chewed on nervously. This kid is scared and Bucky can’t blame him. He’s in a room full of superheroes and what kid wouldn’t be a little nervous. Well were they superheroes? At least in the eyes of the U.S. law, their not. But where did this kid come from? 

Bucky blinked and raised his hand. He watched as the kid leaned back and placed his hand up against his. The child’s hand is soft against his calloused hand and smaller, much smaller. Bucky noted that the child is wearing a black and red striped shirt. Bucky hummed and allowed his eyes to close. He can feel the kid investigating his hand. The soft flesh of the smaller hand that's pressed into his is warm. And the cool metal that’s gently poking around his wrist is a nice contrast to the warmth of the other. 

Wait…

Metal?! 

Bucky’s eyes flew open and he snapped his head to the kid. The child didn’t seem to notice that Bucky is now staring at him and continued to investigate his hand and arm. Now that Bucky has a better look at the child, he notices how much he looked like a younger version of himself. That’s unnerving. Very unnerving. He notes the light blue jeans also to the shirt. And a pair of black and white sneakers. Bucky opens his mouth to say something but never gets the chance. 

Chaos suddenly erupted. 

“Get him!” 

Bucky didn’t know who called out, but the next thing he knew is that the kid screams. With his head still swimming from the events earlier the high pitched scream is like a siren right into his ear. Bucky snapped his eyes shut as a pounding headache formed. When he opened them again, the child was no longer next to him. Looking around, Bucky can see that everyone is panicking. Bucky groans as he lifts himself from the ground and sits on a bench. His head is killing him and everyone panicking is not helping. 

“This is...unnerving.” Bucky’s voice is hoarse and throat sore. He doesn’t know what’s happening and he would love an explanation. But this headache is painful and Bucky would love to have it go away. He looks around and everyone is staring. But not saying anything. “How did this happen?” 

Bucky waited for someone to speak up. But no one did. Sighing, the man scanned around the gym, hoping to find the child. But the kid had seemed to disappear. Maybe he’d imagined the kid? That would explain why everyone is not saying anything. He must have hit his head against something. Like a dumbbell, a wall, or the floor. But he could have sworn that kid’s hand, both metal, and flesh felt real. 

Bucky looked up to the others again. They’re avoiding eye contact. Bucky raises a brow, he can tell something is off. If nothing is amiss, then why are they not making eye contact. Why are they being shifty? Steve’s rubbing the back of his neck and chewing on his bottom lip. Clint’s sitting on the mat, twiddling his thumbs. Sam’s staring at Steve, his arms crossed and an annoyed expression plastered on his face. Bucky turned his gaze to the others. 

Wanda had her hands behind her back and her head down. Bucky can tell by how she moves her foot from side to side that she is very upset about something or feeling guilty. Her posture reminds him of a child being scolded for something they shouldn’t have done. The monk looking man has a head against his forehead, his head shaking back and forth slowly. Natasha is staring at a pile of mats in a far corner of the room. 

Bucky raised a brow and though, that’s a little strange. 

“Well, Wanda had a mishap.” Steve coughed. 

“That doesn’t exactly explain what happened.” Bucky raised his flesh hand and pinched his nose. He’s also noticed how Steve tends to protect Wanda and come to her defense. Steve almost seems to coddle the witch. And Bucky is beginning to be annoyed by it. “Saying ‘she had a mishap’ does not explain why it happened or how it happened.” 

“Ms. Maximoff and I were training on her magic. She, indeed, had a mishap. She had gotten a bit emotional during training and a spell we were working on had misfired.” The monk man deadpanned. “And the child is the result of this misfired spell. I have not seen anything like this before, I’ll have to research a way to revere this. If it can be reversed that is.” 

Bucky nodded at the man. From the other’s tone of voice, he seems to be one of few words and has a serious demeanor. And possibly an asshole too. Though Bucky doesn’t know much about magic, he knows that it’s hard to fight against. It’s hard to defend oneself against magic. And that’s what makes it so dangerous, so scary. 

“This was an accident.” Wanda injected. Her voice even sounds like a child that didn’t mean to do something bad. “I didn’t mean for you to get hit, either.” 

Well, that explained how he ended up on the ground. And why the red light was so bright. 

“Okay, so let me get this straight.” Bucky huffed a breath out. “Wanda here misfired a spell. I was hit being this rouge spell and now a little kid is running about. Our Monk here has to see if this can be fixed or not.”

“I am not a monk.” The man deadpans, though his face has a hit of irritation. “I’m Dr. Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme.” 

“You dress like one, though,” Barton says. 

“Enough!” Bucky snapped, “But, everything I said is correct, right?” 

Everyone flinched when Bucky raised his voice. Bucky doesn’t raise his voice often. Bucky, himself is a man of few words. But, he knows how to silence a room when needed. Dr. Strange was the first to speak after a few moments of silence. 

“Yes.” 

Bucky let a sigh out and ran both hands through his hair. He’s regretting agreeing to come and train today. Seems there’s always something that goes wrong with these guys. 

“Buck, you can't blame Wanda for this. It’s an accident.” Steve says. 

“You’re giving her a pity party, Steve.” Bucky grunts. There he goes again protecting her. Does he not see that constant coddling will not help her grow? Well, guess it’s time to tell him. “And I’m not blaming her, accidents happened. But, you have to stop coddling her. She wouldn’t grow if you keep babying her.” 

Before Steve could say anything, Bucky turned his attention to Natasha or   
Natalia. Sometimes, Bucky didn’t know what name she went with. “Where is he?” 

“Still in the room, hiding.” She says, her eyes not leaving the maps in the corner. 

“Come on, little guy. We’re not going to hurt you.” Barton cooed. From what Bucky knows, the archer has a family. He has kids. He’s a father. So, he would know how to get a shy kid to come out. At least this is what Bucky thought. 

“I have a bit of doubt. He is the Winter Soldier.” 

Winter what! Did the Widow hit her head? 

No, that child couldn’t be the Winter Soldier. Bucky knows that he is the Winter Soldier. He was the one that went through The Winter Soldier program so he could become the best weapon they have. He was meant to be the New Fist of Hydra. But, everyone knows how that ended. But, Bucky did notice something once he had escaped Hydra. Something...strange. 

He felt a presence with him. No matter where he goes or what he does, there’s a presence that he can feel. A presence in his head. Back in Bucharest, if Bucky felt panicked for any reason or in any way, this presence would flow over him and calm him. It was like someone taking him out of the driver seat and placing him in the backseat. This tended to happen a lot over the two years he was on the run. It’s common for Bucky to allow this presence to take over whenever it did. But for some reason, it’s not coming out. Bucky had never given the presence a name, but it didn’t seem to care. The two would even talk sometimes! After some conversations, Bucky had gotten the impression that this presence has a child-like curiosity. Even if it did protect him at times. Bucky pushed into his mind, trying to feel if the presence was there. 

Nothing. 

There’s nothing. 

He feels nothing. 

“He’s probably waiting to ambush us,” Steve says, his voice brings Bucky back to the present. 

Bucky blinks and allows his head to fall in his hands. The presence in his mind is gone and it doesn’t make sense. How is it gone? How did it disappear? Bucky didn’t know what the others were saying, their voices muddled into one. He isn’t even paying attention to them. His headache is getting worse thinking about everything. Bucky lifts his head and spots the child again, who’s hiding behind the pile of mats. So that’s why the Widow is staring. 

Bucky can see the child is peeking his head out from the mats. Young bright eyes stare at him in a pleading manner. Bucky is beginning to feel something. Something strange again. Like he knows how this child is feeling. Like he knows this kid isn’t going to hurt them. He knows this child is sacred. 

He can feel it. 

Whether this is the Winter Soldier, Bucky didn’t know nor does he care. And he isn’t going to trust Steve and them. He isn’t trying to be mean, but he didn’t know any of them. He doesn’t know Sam, Clint, Wanda, and any of the other Rogues that are here in Wakanda. He doesn’t even know Steve anymore! Out of everyone, he knows Natalia. He trained her when she was part of the Red Room and sent after her when she had left. He and she have a history he can remember. He doesn’t even remember much of the history he has with Steve. 

“I don’t think so.” Bucky didn’t know why he said that the words came out of his mouth. But, he had a feeling his words were true. He made eye contact with the child again. A sudden urge to go and pick the kid up is overflowing in him. Like a father wanting to comfort their son. What’s going on with him? 

“And why’s that?” Sam asks, arms crossed. 

“I just know.” Bucky hummed, “I just know.” 

“Buck, the Winter Soldier is dangerous. He needs—” Steve begins. 

The door to the gym opened and everyone turned their heads. There’s a group of Dora Milaje step through, their weapons raised. Bucky shows his hands, a sign that he's unarmed. The others soon follow Bucky’s lead. The man shakes his head and sighs. The Dora Milaje part way and allow T’challa to step through. The young King doesn’t have an expression on his face, but Bucky can tell by his posture that he’s rather annoyed. Bucky doesn’t blame him. He’s feeling a bit irritated. 

“I’ve been alerted to a situation,” T’challa says, staring at the group in front of him. He turns to Bucky and nods in greeting. Bucky returns the nod. 

Bucky turns to see if the child is still hiding behind the mats, but he’s not there. Bucky wonders where the kid had gone. There aren't many places to hide in the gym and the Dora Milaje are blocking the only door that leads to the outside. Bucky didn’t want the boy running out and getting lost. There are thick tree lines that surround one side of the Villa. If the child gets out, he could get lost. He could end up hurting himself if not supervised. Bucky can feel his stomach twist at the thought of the child getting harmed. 

Bucky slipped his hands under his tights and chewed on his bottom lip. Something is going on with him and he doesn’t understand why? Why is the feeling so...so strange around this kid? And the thought of him getting hurt? It almost makes his blood boil. Bucky looks around and notices that no one is paying him any mind. Good, he doesn’t want to explain how he’s feeling and why he may be acting strange. 

Steve seems to be telling T’challa something, but Bucky isn’t listening. He doesn't want to be there. What he wants to do is take the child and haul ass to his farm and cuddle the boy to his chest. Bucky closes his eyes and thinks. He thinks about the boy running around the farm chasing the chickens. Thinks about the boy swinging a bucket of feed as he walks to the goats and feeds them. Thinks about the boy resting his head against his larger chest as they lay on the single that Bucky has. Thinking about how he and this boy could be a family. 

A family... 

“Stop him!” 

Bucky snapped out of his little daydream due to Steve’s voice and watched as chaos rained down again. There's yelling and panic. Bucky can see that Steve is the most agitated. He didn’t know why, but he looked around. From Bucky’s view everyone seems accounted for, but when he tried to find the boy...he couldn’t. He couldn’t find the child. Bucky blinked and whipped his head around. Where did the boy go? Is he still hiding behind the pile of mats? 

“Shit! He left.” Sam says and this caught Bucky’s attention. 

Left? The boy had left. Something inside Bucky snapped, dread-filled his stomach, and nausea twisted his guts. Where did the kid go? How did he get out? Is he going to be ok? Bucky can feel himself beginning to panic. And Bucky knows that something much worse is going to happen. He knows it, he feels it. 

“Well, damn.” Clint mused, astonished. He readied himself with his bow and arrows. Steve, Natasha, and Wanda followed his actions. Wilson and Dr. Strange made no move to follow. “He’s fast!”

“Leave him be!” 

Bucky didn’t know why he spoke, but he did. He knows everyone is staring at him, he can see it. But, he had to speak. Something about the child made him want to protect him. He didn’t understand why. If he is being truthful to himself, Bucky believes that he is purely running on instinct. An instinct he didn’t even know he had. 

“But, Bucky! He’s the—” 

Bucky growled and jumped to his feet. Something within him surged forward and at this moment, Steve’s face looks like a good punching bag. Bucky figures that he must have startled Steve since the man did back up. He figures that he must have started everyone because the whole room is silent. But he keeps his eyes on Rogers. 

“I said ‘Leave him alone’. Am I clear, Rogers?” Bucky hissed. The deadliness of his voice sending a shiver down his spine. 

“Yes, but—” Steve begins. 

“Then stand down. All of you.”

Bucky watched the others as they gave him space. They weren’t scared per se, but cautious. They know that Bucky has violent episodes and they have been trying to help him. But sometimes they try to help a bit too much. Bucky doesn’t need to be treated with kiddy gloves, it’s irritating to be constantly treated like he’s glass. What’s worse is that he tried to tell them to lighten up and that he’s not fragile. But, even telling them doesn’t work. It’s one of the many reasons Bucky had asked T’challa if he could have a place of his own. At least T’challa and his family didn’t walk on eggshells around him. 

Bucky saw movement out from the corner of his eyes and growled again. He isn’t in a good mood and he knows that if touch, he will duck the person out. He’ll cause some serious damage. This is something Bucky doesn’t want to do. He knows that he’ll never be able to pay anything he breaks. And he didn’t want to be disrespectful to the royal family. He didn’t want to be disrespectful to T’challa. The man had taken him to his country for treatment. Damaging his property is bad guest manners. 

“Relax, White Wolf. There will be no fights.” T’challa said. The man may be young, but Bucky can feel the authoritative air around him. He nods to the other and allows himself to sit.

“Now, an explanation would be greatly appreciated.” 

Bucky tunes everyone out. He knows that this is going to be a mess. Everyone seems to want to get a word in and that leads to chaos and frustration. When many people are talking over each other, it’s near impossible to focus on what is being said. So, instead of worrying about the group, he’s working on calming himself. Remember what Shuri said, deep breathes. 

Inhale. Hold for three. Exhale. 

Inhale. Hold for three. Exhale.   
  
Inhale. Hold for three. Exhale.

A hand is placed onto Bucky’s back. He knows that it’s one of the Dora Milaje that is closest to him. He suspects it’s Okoye. With how firm the hand against his back is, he’s sure it’s her. She’s one of the few that has helped him through moments like this. He’s become acquainted with her touch through those times. 

“The king has allowed you to leave if this has become too stressful.” A voice whispered into Bucky’s ear softly. 

The man nodded and felt a hand slip under his armpit. One name came to his mind, Okoye. She’s the only one that pulls him to his feet by the armpit. It’s the second spot he associates with the warrior. He’s led to the open door and the air is a great welcome. He turns to see who’s holding him and finds Okoye at his side. He smiles, but she stares straight ahead. Though, Bucky does see the faintest of a smile. 

“Go back to your farm. The King will sort out the mess in there.” Okoye says, Letting his hand fall from the man. “It's almost 2 in the afternoon. I’m sure the goats need feeding.” 

“Tell your Highness I’m thankful for leaving.” Bucky sighs, letting the outside air push the stagnant air of the gym out of his lungs. “And I apologize for the mess he has to deal with.” 

Okoye snorts, a half-smirk settled on her face.

“I’ll be sure to give him the message.”

* * *

“Why do I bother with them sometimes?” Bucky grumbled. He trekked back to his farm and went straight to the feed hunt to prepare the goat and chicken feed. “Just want a normal day of farm tending. That is all I ask for. Why is that not what I get?” 

A brown and white spotted goat came waltzing into the hunt and bleated. Bucky snorted when he saw the goat making its way to his from the doorway. Out of all his goats— all twelve of them—this one loves to enter the feed hunt whenever he gets the chance. Bucky has to shoo this one out of the hunt. There are times when he has to pick the goat up and walk him out. This is why Bucky named the goat Mini Steve. 

He acted like Steve when he was younger, so it fits! 

Mini Steve bleated against and stuck his face into the bucket that Bucky is holding. Sighing, Bucky uses his hips to bump into Mini Steve. The goat doesn’t like being bumped into, so he removes his head from the bucket and snorts. 

“What are you always like this?” Bucky asks, lifting the bucket out of Mini Steve’s reach and bumping him with his hip again. The goats' bleats and head butts against Bucky. Normally a goat’s headbutt would knock a baseline human down and Bucky has been sent to his ass a few times by Mini Steve. If he can brace himself, Bucky can stay standing after being headbutted. Which he is grateful for now. Mini Steve would have had a feast otherwise. 

“Yeah, yeah. Right back at ya punk.” Bucky snorts as Mini Steve bleats again, not too happy that Bucky didn’t take a tumble. 

Leaving the hunt with Mini Steve in tow, Bucky feeds the other goats. Now that all the goats have their feed, Bucky sneaks away and fills the bucket up with the chicken feed. Grabbing the handle, Bucky lifts the bucket and heads to the door. But, he takes a look around the hunt. He didn’t know why, but something felt off. Nothing appeared to be out of place in the hunt. Well, nothing, except a jacket on the floor near a feed container. Bucky hummed, set the bucket out of Mini Steve’s reach, and picked the jacket up. 

It’s not a jacket like Bucky had thought. It’s a hoodie with a zipper. A dark brown hoodie. And from the look and feel of it, it’s new and clean. Barely wore. And way too small to fit someone like Bucky. So, where did it come from? Is it the boy? Bucky doesn’t remember the kid wearing a hoodie when he first saw him. But, the size would fit a kid. 

Bucky threw the hoodie over his shoulder and picked the bucket up again. He headed out the door. He fed the chickens and decided to let them roam about the place for a while. He set the feed bucket near the closed door of the feed hunt and walked to his house. The hoodie is still on his shoulder. 

Once inside, Bucky passed the living room and made his way to the kitchen. Dropping the hoodie on a chair, Bucky opens the fridge and pulls out a cup. He’s glad that he set a cup of water in the refrigerator before leaving his farm. It seems like a strange thing to do, but Bucky would rather have a cold drink than a warm one. He sits in a chair and allows himself to relax for a few moments. The day has been stressful and Bucky was about to throw hands with anyone in that gym if he wasn’t able to get out. At least T’challa saw that and let him go. There’s also the strange feeling he got when he saw the kid. Why did he feel so protective? Was he being protective? Bucky didn’t know, all he could do was set it the cup down and place his hand over his face. A groan of frustration left his lips. What’s going on? 

Bucky stood up and set his cup on the table. He needed to put the bucket away. If not, Mini Steve would have a field day kicking the thing around. Mini Steve destroyed the first feed bucket he had and Bucky was a bit impressed. He didn’t know how Mini Steve did it, but Bucky knew he had a little punk to deal with. He still loved the goat, but Mini Steve was a little ass. Stepping outside and to the feed hut, Bucky noticed that the bucket is still upright. Mini Steve wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Maybe the goat found something else to entertain himself with. Whatever the case, Bucky isn’t going to worry. Pushing the hut door open, Bucky steps in and puts the bucket away. Then something caught his eye. 

“That wasn’t there before.” Bucky hummed, looking at a smaller feed container that is out of place. He had smaller containers, but Mini Steve and the other goats kept breaking into them. He used both to hold the goat and chicken feeds. So, he asked Okoye what he could do? She came back with a larger feed container. Well ok then, but she did tell him to use the smaller containers for chicken feed and put them on a high shelf. So, he did. 

A goat could’ve moved the container, but Bucky is sure he closed the door. Then something came to his mind, like a light bulb. He did close the door. But, when he came back, he was able to push it open. That means the door was already open when he got there. Bucky also noted that the container is angled in a way that would allow a person to climb on to the attic of the hut. A bleat from behind him made Bucky jump. He turned around and found Ruth. 

“What are you doing here?” Bucky asks. Ruth snorted and bleated again, her head tilted up to the attic. Bucky hummed and side-eyed the attic, he didn’t see anything or one. But, he heard them. The soft sound of straw and hay being crushed under a weight. 

“I know you there, kid. You can come down.” Bucky says this in a gentle voice. He doesn’t want to startle the kid, let alone scare him. He’s had enough scares for the day. Bucky turns to look at the attic fully and gets a glimpse of the boy. The child was peeking his head over the edge of the attic floor, that was until he saw Bucky and moved. 

“They don’t know you’re here. You’re safe now.” Bucky hoped this would help the kid calm down and come down from the attic. But the kid made no move to show himself again. But Bucky does hear the kid shuffling about. “Don’t make me come up there and get you.” 

Bucky didn’t plan on climbing up into the attic and taking the kid out. The boy may have made it his little hiding spot. A safe place. And again, that strange feeling of wanting to hold the child and coddle him comes up. Bucky ignored that feeling for now and focused on getting the kid down. But the kid didn’t show himself again. So, Bucky came up with something. Stepping under the floor of the attic, Bucky waited. He can hear the shuffling of the child above him. After what Bucky thought was a couple of minutes, he saw a set of four fingers of the child curl around the edge of the wood. Their position indicates that the child is leaning sideways on the edge. 

Perfect. 

Bucky silently stepped to where he thought the child’s waist would be. Taking a silent breath, Bucky stepped out from under that attic floor and slipped his arm about the boy. Bucky heard the child squeak as he pulled him from the attic and against him. This all happened in a few seconds. Bucky chuckled as the boy looked at him with a very startled and confused face. He can see some of the attic bedding in the kid’s hair. Oops, he didn’t mean for that to happen. 

The kid tried to pull away, but Bucky knew he had a firm grip on the boy. This kid isn’t going anywhere. Now that he’s holding him, Bucky can feel his heart fluttering. This kid is doing something to him and he doesn’t know what. But this feeling— the fluttering in his chest and the happiness pooling in his belly, he didn’t want it to stop. 

“Told you, didn’t I?” Bucky says, raising an amused brow. The kid huffed and crossed his arms, cheeks puffed out. A pout. Bucky had to do what he could to not laugh. “Let’s go inside. You must be hungry.” 

The boy didn’t say anything, but the pout disappeared at the mention of food. The kid has not eaten anything today. So, food must have sounded very appealing to the child. Not that Bucky could blame him, he’s feeling hungry as well. So, Bucky made his way to his farmhouse, the kid tucked safety under his arm. Once in the house, Bucky sets the kid on the couch. The boy moves his head around, surveying the area he’s been plopped in.

Bucky stayed in the room and watched the boy, waiting to see if he did anything. The child wrapped his arms around him and curled into a ball. Bucky was about to ask if he was alright but noticed that the boy shivered. A word came to Bucky’s mind, cold. The boy could be cold. But, this is Wakanda. And Wakanda is hot! Bucky’s standing and he feels the sweat gathering in his armpits. If anything, he expected the kid to be complaining about the heat. But, this child has not even made a peep. He’s mute? Don't want to talk? Whatever the case, Bucky’s going to find out. 

Stepping from the room, Bucky made his way to the kitchen that’s attached. He kept his ears peeled, in case the boy did anything. Looking in his cupboards for something the kid can eat was easy. Bucky is still recovering from being under ice, most of his food is soft. The doctors that are looking after him don’t want any part of his tract to tear or rip. And they don’t want him hugging the porcelain, either. It takes a while for his digestive tract to recoup from Cryo, so he’s been placed on a soft food diet. And being a Super Soldier, Shuri developed a nutrient-rich powder that Bucky can add to a meal or replace one. The powder can be used in many ways. But, Bucky uses it as a thickener or a substitute for mashed potatoes. Bucky hums to himself and grabs the container of powder and a package of instant mashed potatoes. 

Setting the pot of water to boil, Bucky goes to check on the boy. He hasn’t made a sound and Bucky’s beginning to wonder if the kid had snuck by him without him noticing. This boy did get past a gym full of skilled individuals. Maybe letting the boy out of his sight was a bad idea. As he made his way to the living room, Bucky spotted a note held to his refrigerator by a small magnet. Taking the note, Bucky saw that it read;

_Barnes,_

_I am unsure when you will see this. But I’m writing this to bring to your attention that you may have some...particular emotions to deal with. Especially after the mishap, young Maximoff had. These emotions should dissipate (disappear) within a few days of the accident. If not, I want you to catalog what you're experiencing in a journal or something of the like. Side effects of this accident are unknown. Any information I am given will be a great help in searching for a possible way in reversing this. I plan to visit you within a week or two. I have been called away to New York for an emergency. If I can visit sooner, I will._

_I also believe this child is connected to you. I’m not sure about how, but there’s a connection. I can feel it._

_P.S. I am NOT a monk. Please refrain from calling me as such._

Bucky blinked and reread the note. He had a feeling who had written it, the P.S. is a dead giveaway. And did he call that man a monk? Bucky can’t remember. Setting the note on the table, Bucky hums as he checks on the water. Not boiling, so he returns to what he was doing before the note caught his attention. Bucky peeks his head from the doorway of the kitchen and sees the top of the boy’s head. He’s still on the couch. Turning back to the water, Bucky finds it’s rapidly boiling and adds the potato and powder mixture. He turns the heat down and lets his mind wander on the note he was given. 

Bucky thinks about the fact that what he’s feeling is a possible side effect of this whole situation. Is it possible he doesn’t care about the kid? Would he start thinking like Steve? Would he ditch the kid and say he needs to be put in jail or Cryo? Are these feelings all cause of Wanda? Did she becomes emotional about the thought of having a family? So emotional that this happened? 

Bucky felt his stomach twist at the thoughts that are filling his mind. Pushing them back, Bucky takes the potatoes off the burner and onto a potholder to cool. He grabs two bowls from a cupboard and two cups. After separating the food into bowls and filling the cups, Bucky calls the boy into the kitchen. The small child peeks his head from the door frame and Bucky waves him over. 

“Lunch is ready,” Bucky says as the kid sits himself in a chair. The very chair that has the hoodie on it. “Hope you're ok with mashed potatoes.” 

The boy doesn’t say anything but nods his head. Bucky watches as the kid takes a spoonful of potatoes and pops it into his mouth. A smile pulls on Bucky’s face as the boy’s eyes widen with curiosity. The child scoops more of his meal into his mouth in a hungry manner. Bucky suspected that the kid would be hungry and with how the kid’s chowing down, his suspicion was right. 

Bucky took a few hearty spoonfuls of his lunch but passed the rest to the kid. He didn’t know if the boy would be satiated with a single bowl. Bucky wasn’t feeling that hungry either, might as well make sure the kid has a full belly. The boy accepts the bowl and downs the food as fast as he first. Bucky takes the empty items and sets them on the counter near the sink, he turns and catches the kid rubbing his eyes. Seems like nap time is in order. 

Bucky wrapped his only arm around the boy, just under his ribs. The child seems to know what he was doing and placed his arms around Bucky’s neck. Once off of the chair, the child’s legs hook around Bucky’s waist. With the boy secure against him, Bucky starts to leave, but the kid makes a noise. 

“Something wrong?” Bucky asks. The kid doesn’t say anything, but his metal arm is stretched out. Bucky looks to what the kid is staring at and sees the hoodie. “Is that yours?” 

The child nods. 

Bucky leans down and lets the child take the hoodie. Now that the boy has his hoodie, Bucky takes him back to the living room. The kid still has the attic bedding in his hair and it needed to be removed. So, Bucky sets the boy on one side of the couch and he places himself on the other. The kid didn’t know what to do and looked at Bucky with a curious and cautious expression.

“You have hay and straw in your hair,” Bucky says, as the kid raises his flesh hand to his head. “Come over and I’ll clean you up.” 

The kid seemed to think the option over for a while. But, soon he slid himself into Bucky’s lap and let the older man pull hay and straw from his hair. Bucky made sure to be gentle when he pulled a thing of bedding from the boy’s hair, he didn’t want to hurt him. The child did let a sigh out and leaned his head into Bucky’s chest. Being so focused on cleaning the kid’s hair, Bucky didn’t notice that the kid had fallen asleep. 

Once he did, Bucky carefully maneuvered himself out from under the kid. With the boy now comfortable, Bucky slips a pillow under his head and covers him with the hoodie. Glancing at the cloak, Bucky finds that it’s only 2:45 in the afternoon. He could have sworn it was later. But, it seems Bucky had a bit of downtime before he needed to start dinner. So, he plopped himself into an armchair and cracked open a book he’s been meaning to read. 

But a bleat caught Bucky’s attention and he turned to see Ruth standing in the middle of his front door. Bucky realized he didn’t completely close it as he had thought. And if there’s one thing he knows; Ruth loves coming into the house. The goat makes her way to where the boy is sleeping and standing on the opposite end of the couch. She turns her head to Bucky and stares. 

“Ruth, don’t. This day has already worn me out.” 

Ruth jumped onto the couch and plopped her butt down. Bucky shook his head and let it go, too tired to deal with the stubborn goat. At least she seemed to like the kid. By the time the kid had woken up, Bucky almost had dinner ready.

“You’re safe here, I promise,” Bucky says as he carries the child. Both have had dinner and Bucky is putting the boy to bed. Bucky has only one bed in the house and he didn’t want the boy sleeping on the couch. The one-armed man feared that the Rouges would break in and take the child. 

The boy let a little sigh out and leaned into Bucky, his cheek pressed into his shoulder. Bucky hums a lullaby, hoping to lull the boy back to sleep. Bucky used his foot to open the door and stepped inside. The room is small. The bed is next to the only window and a dresser is right of the door. There’s a bathroom attached to the far left. Bucky sets the boy on his bed and walks to his dresser. Opening a drawer, bucky pulls a t-shirt out. He knows that it’ll be too big for the kid and that’s why he’s giving to him. It'll be a good nightshirt. 

“It’ll have to work until I can get you some of your clothes,” Bucky says, handing the shirt to the child. The boy takes it and pads his way to the bathroom that’s connected. Bucky raises a brow at this. Could the kid know the layout of his house? He never gave the kid a tour.

Maybe this is what the note meant? Bucky did notice that the presence that is with him is not there. He can’t feel it anymore. Could this child be that presence, but in a human body? This would explain how he knows where the bathroom is without being shown. 

The bathroom door opened and the kid stepped out. With the shirt being too big, the boy looked like he was wearing a dress that fell to his knees. But, Bucky found this adorable. With that chubby face, short body, and a big shirt, the boy looked all ready for bed. Bucky shuffled the boy to bed. He even tucked him in. 

Bucky left the room and gave the goats and chickens their last feeding for the night. He returned to find the boy sleeping and smiled. This kid has had a very long day and a good night's sleep would be very beneficial for the child. And for himself as well. Bucky can feel the exhaustion set in and sleep is calling him with her sweet lullaby. So, Bucky changes into some simple nightclothes— a tank top and shorts— and slips next to the boy in his bed.

Bucky doesn’t know what woke him up, but something’s amiss. Opening his eyes, Bucky looks around and doesn’t find the kid in the bed. Sitting up, Bucky says “Kid? Where are you?” 

A noise from a corner of his room draws Bucky's attention. He spots the kid in the corner opposite of the bathroom. The moonlight barely shines on the child, but Bucky can see the fear in the boy’s bright frosty blue eyes. His heart breaks a little at the sight. 

“I’m not going to hurt you.” Bucky coos. He didn’t want to frighten the boy anymore than he was. “You can sleep in my bed.” 

Bucky’s cooing does the trick and the boy slowly makes his way back to the bed. When close enough, Bucky scooped the kid and laid him in the same spot he had placed in earlier. Bucky lays down and the kid curls himself against him tucking his face into Bucky’s broad shoulder. Bucky hums and curls his arm around the child, who sighs and drifts to sleep again.

“There, there. Everything’s going to be ok.” 

In the morning, Bucky awakes to find the child in the corner again. 

Guess that’s something they’ll have to work on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was brought to my attention that a few paragraphs had duplicated without me knowing. I'm very glad that it was brought up.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things were going well for Bucky and the boy.  
> But, then Steve appeared...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter yay!! 
> 
> Comments and Kudos welcome!

Rays from the sun filter through a slit in the curtains and land on Bucky’s face. Scrunching up his nose, the man groaned as he woke. Breathing in the stale air in the room from his yawn, Bucky notes the weight against his back. Cracking open his eyes, Bucky glances down and finds a metal arm curled over his chest. A soft hum leaves him as a smile pulls on his lips. 

Feeling the rise and fall of the boy’s chest, Bucky stays still. He doesn’t want to wake the child. Even with the farm chores that needing to be done, Bucky allows a bit of time to be spared for lying there. He lets the kid catch a few more z’s. 

Working on getting the boy to stay in bed has been met with success. Bucky would wake in the morning to find the child back to back. It’s been five days since the boy’s first night and Bucky’s happy that this kid trusts him enough to share the same bed.   
  
An hour or so passed, the boy woke up and uncurled himself from Bucky. He may not say it, but Bucky wanted to lay there with the child against him for a bit longer. But, the farm needed tending to and Bucky could afford the luxury of lying in bed and have a moment with the boy. 

“I’ll start breakfast.” Bucky rolled from the bed and made his way to the kitchen. 

Once breakfast's finished and eaten, Bucky and the child headed to the feed hut. They gathered the supplies for the animal's morning feeding. This is how Bucky found himself leaning against the fence that enclosed the pasture. All animals feed and now mill about in the large enclosed area. This was the first time the boy had helped with feeding the goats. And Bucky had given him a lollipop as a reward for a job well done. 

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

The boy hummed around the candy in his mouth, leaning into Bucky’s side. 

“Did...did what Steve says is true?” Bucky’s throat becomes the consistency of sandpaper. “Are you the Winter Soldier?”

The child’s body goes rigged and Bucky glances down. The boy's gaze transfixed at the ground, his grip on the older man’s pants is tight, and the candy on the other. Bucky wants to probe the boy more but didn’t know if he should.

Finally, he nods, a sniffle comes wetly. Bucky knees, wrapping his only arm around the boy and brings him close to his larger body. His own emotions are twisting, but hearing the sniffle sends whatever he’s feeling to the back burner. 

The candy dropped to the ground, forgotten.

“It’s ok.” Bucky cooed, “I know Steve isn’t willing to give you a chance, but I am.”

Bucky’s shirt dampens with tears and he feels the boy, the Winter Soldier nod. He knows this will cause some trouble, especially with Steve, but he’s willing to try. If he can be given a chance at redeeming himself. To fix what Hydra made him do, why couldn’t the Soldier?

Bucky knows that Hydra is all the boy has known. That is until now and teaching him would be a challenge, but he’s up for the task. 

“I’m up to give you a chance, but are you willing to try?” 

A nod and Bucky hums, allowing him and the boy to have this tender moment. Since the boy likes to hide for most of the day, Bucky doesn’t get moments like this. So, when moments like this do occur, he can’t help but cherish them. 

Bucky felt shifting in his arm and two small hands pressed into his broad chest. Bucky pulled himself back and unwrapped his arm from the child, who looked up with puffy red eyes. Running a thumb over the boy’s cheek, Bucky whips the rest of the tears. 

“Going to one of your little hidey spots?”

The boy nods. 

“Alright, be back for lunch. Ok, Frank?” Bucky has to bite his tongue so he doesn't laugh at the dirty face the child had given him. And the bird that he received as well. “Ok, Frank is off the list. Got it.” 

Bucky watches as the boy stomps off to one of the safe spaces that he had made. Shaking his head, Bucky stands and slips a small memo book out from his pocket. Flipping it open, Bucky sets it on the ground and takes a pencil out. He draws a line through ‘Frank’ and looks at what is left; 

_Possible Names_

~~_\- Frank_ ~~   
~~_\- Winter_ ~~   
_\- Greg_   
_- ~~Roy~~_   
_\- Lewis_   
_- ~~Neil~~_   
_\- Alan_   
_- ~~Phoenix~~ _   
_\- Frost_   
_\- Jax_   
_- ~~Henry~~_   
_\- Andrew_

Six names left. Bucky’s rather surprised that he’s eliminated half of the names the boy had written down. The name game seems a bit strange and a waste of time. But, Bucky doesn’t mind the game. It makes living with the boy a bit more...interesting. 

Putting the pencil and book back into his pocket, Bucky lifts himself from the ground and heads to the house. He needs to get lunch started, cause this boy has one hell of an appetite. 

This is how Bucky found himself sitting at the kitchen table. A bowl of instant mashed potatoes sat next to him, untouched. He didn’t feel the hunger from his body. Bucky’s too distracted staring at the list of names that the boy had given him. With half gone, it’s only a matter of time before Bucky learned the name the child had given himself. 

A tug on his shirt causes Bucky to jump. Looking down, he finds said boy with a smirk on his face. He’s pleased to have startled the older man. Head tilted and with a few blinks, the boy pointed to Bucky’s lap. A silent asking if he could climb up. Sliding the memo book from himself, Bucky lets the child into his lap. Once settled, Bucky brings the child’s lunch closer and hands the child the spoon.

Bucky had eaten his part from the pot after he had scooped out the boy. 

“Can I ask you something?” Bucky says. He had waited until the kid had emptied half the bowl before voicing his question. 

The boy looked up with a slight title of his head. The spoon dangled in his mouth. A soft hum and a nod let Bucky know that he can ask.

“You haven’t said a word. Is everything ok?” Bucky asks. 

Since the first day, this boy hasn't uttered a word. At first, Bucky didn’t think anything of it. The boy is new to the area and may not be talkative at first. But, it’s been five days and Bucky’s worried, he wondered if the boy was ill or something of that nature. If Bucky didn’t feel satisfied with the boy’s answer, he could take him to one of the doctors and they could examine him. 

Bucky saw several emotions cross the child’s face before landing on perplexed. Then he nods. This made the older man raise a brow. His gut is telling him something’s not right. 

“You sure? You’ve been a fall quite.” Bucky probes, “Is everything alright?” 

Bucky watched the child nod again, returning his attention to his lunch. A sign that the kid isn’t interested in the conversation anymore. But, there’s one thing Bucky needs to say. Something that he views as important and that this child needs to hear. 

“You can talk,” Bucky says, tone flat and serious. “You won’t be punished for it.” 

Feeling the body stiffen in his lap, Bucky slips his only arms around the boy. Two hands, metal and flesh, cling to him like he’s the only thing keeping the kid afloat in the open sea. The sharp intake of breath and tremble come first. The hands tighten and finally the warm droplets of tears. 

The spoon clangs against the ceramic bowl. 

_‘Good going Barnes. He’s cried once today already.’_ Bucky chastised himself. But, he’ll make it up to the boy later. He still has to replace the boy’s lollipop from earlier. 

This isn’t the first time the boy has cried twice in a day and Bucky knows this. Rocking side to side is how Bucky starts this routine, humming comes next. If the rocking and humming don’t help, Bucky allows the boy to put something into his mouth. Like a lollipop or Popsicle. 

Hearing the little hiccups, Bucky pats the metal arm in comfort. He doesn't mean to make the boy cry, but Bucky knew he had to say what he said. He needed to make sure the boy knew that he doesn’t have to be scared about talking.

“I promise, no one will harm you for speaking.” Bucky says, “It’s ok. Everything’s going to be ok.” 

Bucky keeps the rocking motion going for about half an hour. The child had stopped sniffling and tears no longer dripped on his arm. The boy’s grip had also loosened, a sign that he had cried himself out.

Bucky leaned his chin on the boy’s head. “Why don’t you wash up and help me with the farm. After that, you can take a nap.” 

Bucky smiles as the boy groans, letting himself go limp in his lap. He can’t help but chuckle at this behavior. Like many parents, Bucky finds it annoying. But, there are times where Bucky will be amused at the child’s antics. Like every child, even the boy wants to get out of doing chores. Which is something Bucky knows he’ll have to work on. 

“Don’t give me that.” Bucky snorts, poking the boy’s face. “Chores or no lollipop after dinner. Am I clear?” 

The child nodded and slid out of Bucky’s lap. As the boy headed to the bathroom, Bucky stood from the chair and cleaned the table. With the papers away and the bowl in the fridge, Bucky heads to the front door. 

Stepping out of the house, Bucky sees the normal farm activity. The goats roaming about and jumping on anything they see as a climbable surface. Ruth is scratching her butt against a fence post and Mini Steve is taking a nap in the shade caste be a large tree. With a shake of his head, Bucky passes the goats and heads to the small feed hut. 

Unlocking the door, Bucky stepped in and located the chicken feed containers. Taking a container of feed down, Bucky sets it on the small table and twists it open. He grabs the scoop off from its nail and plops it in. Bucky didn’t see the need to put the chicken feed into a bucket anymore. The boy did have two arms and didn’t seem to mind holding the container. With the feed ready, Bucky searches for the basket that he uses to collect eggs in. 

“Ok, where did that basket go?” Bucky sighs his single hand on his hip. Hearing a sound near the door, Bucky turns and asks, “Have you’ve seen where the basket for the eggs is at—” 

Bucky finds the boy standing in the hut, the basket tucked in his flesh elbow. Bucky blinks, his face heats up a little. 

“I left it on the kitchen counter again, didn’t I?”

The boy nods, a smirk pulls on his lips. 

Bucky opened his mouth to say something to the child, but all that was heard is a bleat. Sighing, Bucky turns around and finds Mini Steve standing on his hind legs. The goat tries to stick his nose into the chicken feed. Bucky groaned as he took a step near the goat. Who had now abandoned the chicken feed in favor of climbing onto the goat feed container. 

“Why are you like this?” Bucky glares at Mini Steve as he picks the container up and passes it to the boy. “Take care of the chickens. I need to get Mr. I need to be the biggest pain in the ass as possible, out of the hut.” 

The boy nods and takes the chicken feed. He places it in the basket and heads out the door. Bucky smiles as he watches the boy leave, a small spring in his step. But, the smile fades as he turns to the goat. 

Mini Steve loves to be a pain in any way he can be. Bucky is sure of this, which is why he knew that getting the goat off the container is going to take some time. Stepping near the goat, Bucky placed his hand on his hip. He’s sure that Mini Steve knows what the hand on the hip means. Because the goat lay himself down on the lid of the large container. 

Bucky inwardly groaned. He knew that Mini Steve wouldn’t make anything easy. He's dreading getting the goat off the container. With only one arm, Bucky knew he'd have some difficulty lifting Mini Steve. Treats would only enforce this behavior.

“You’re not going to corporate are you?” Bucky shakes his head when Mini Steve bleats. “Why are you like this?” 

The man is thinking of how to get Mini Steve off the container without having to lift the goat. Mini Steve is heavy and when picked up, wiggles. Then an idea comes to him. Bucky looks around, his gaze searching for the walking stick he uses when herding the goats to the river. The goats get very riled up when they see Bucky with his walking stick. Mini Steve being one of the few that makes a lot of noise when he sees the stick. 

Bucky’s thought was simple, tricking Mini Steve into thinking they were going down to the river. The trips to the river have been cut down to three times this week. Bucky wanted the boy to become familiar with the immediate farm property. But, he wouldn’t be able to put this into action. Not when a scream turned his blood cold. 

A scream

A scream of a child.

 _‘The hell?’_ Bucky thought. He runs out of the feed hut and the sense he’s greeted with made his blood boil. 

The boy’s leaning against the fence post, his metal hand gripping the wrist of his flesh. Bucky can tell that the child is trying to make himself as small as possible and he can see his expression. Complete terror and horror. Bucky sees the chicken feed container on the ground, the feed spilling about. The basket overturned and eggs were scattered. Some were even cracked, the insides spilling. 

_‘Injured.’_ Bucky’s mind supplied. The boy's injured.

Steve’s stands over the child, his large body is in a position to be intimidating. And to give the impression of an authoritative figure. The archer, Barton, had his bow drawn. An arrow notched in the string and pointed at the boy. 

All Bucky saw; red. 

Not only did they come to his farm uninvited, but they also attacked the boy. Normally Bucky would be angry about the loss of feed and the eggs. But, knowing the child had been injured...Bucky could care less about the loss. 

Storming up to the group, Bucky snarled, “What the hell is going on?!” 

“Bucky!” Steve called, “Help us detain—” '

“Steven Grant Rogers! Your mother and I didn’t raise you to be like this!” Bucky hollered, stepping between the group of three and the boy. “What the hell do you all think you're doing?” 

The two men step back in shock. Bucky knows he’s scary when angry, but from the faces of these men...Bucky suspects that he must look terrifying. Turning his attention to the boy, Bucky made sure to soften his expression. 

The child looked up and Bucky felt his heart sink to the pit of his stomach. There’s dirt smudged on the child’s face and tears sparkled in the corner of his eyes. Those frosty blue eyes, large and child-like, plead. Bucky watched as the boy gulped, his throat hollowing and bottom lip quivered. 

Rage began filling Bucky’s body when he heard the commotion and found the child cornered. By two adult males. But when Steve started to speak, this rage boiled even more. 

“It’s the Winter Soldier, Bucky!. He can’t be walking around. He should be—” 

Bucky whirled around and hissed, “If you finish that sentence, I’ll kill you.” 

The men shocked into silence, Steve’s mouth doing a perfect impression of a fish out of water. The archer, Clint, lowered his bow and unstrung the arrow. His eyes were wide from Bucky’s threat.

The silence broke when a whimper sounded. And like someone snapping their fingers, everyone’s trance broke. 

“Dude, we’ve been looking for him since he left the gym,” Clint says, gesturing to the boy. “Why is he here?” 

“He’s been with me the whole time.” Bucky snorted. 

“What?!” Clint crowed, causing Bucky to wince. The volume hurt his enhanced ears. 

“Buck, why would you hide the Winter Soldier from us?” Steve sounded betrayed and Bucky narrowed his eyes at the men. 

“You three,” Bucky orders, “My house. Wait there until I get there.” 

“Bucky—” Steve began, a hand raised. 

“Now,” Bucky growled.

Once two had entered his home, Bucky turned his attention to the boy on the ground. But before he could kneel, someone had called his name. Bucky spun around and growled. 

Right in the face of Sam Wilson.

“Hey, you ok?” Sam asked, lifting his hands to show that he's unarmed. 

Bucky sighs and shakes his head. But, he’ll deal with Sam and the others. So he pointed to his farmhouse and said; “Go to my house. I’ll explain everything once I get there.” 

Sam stood where he was, his gaze on the boy. “When did you get a—” 

Bucky held his hand out to silence the other. “Go to the house. I’ll explain everything there.”

Sam took a last look at the boy and nodded. “Ok, but I want an explanation of what’s going on. Cause I haven’t been told jack shit!” 

Once Sam had headed off to Bucky’s house, Bucky turned his attention to the child. Kneeling, Bucky lets the boy lean into his body and cry. Bucky hugged the boy to his chest and rubbed his back in comfort. 

Bucky let the boy cry himself out, then gently pulled the child from his chest. Bucky held his hand out and motioned for the boy to give him his hand. But, he held his flesh arm close to his chest, a fearful expression still on his face. Bucky’s gut twists and his heart grows cold. 

He had worked hard those five days to get the boy to trust him and now those men may have erased all his work. Bucky fears that he is now back at square one with the boy. 

“Hey, you ok?” Bucky kept his voice low and soft. He didn’t want to scare the boy anymore than he already was. “Let me see your arm. I won’t hurt you.” 

The boy clutched his arm close and shook his head. Bucky knew that the boy didn’t want him to look. And he couldn’t blame the child, this situation would be scary to any small child.

“I won’t hurt you, I promise.” Bucky cooed, keeping his hand out. Hoping that the boy would be encouraged enough to let him look.

Bucky could have yelled in joy when the boy relaxed his grip and slipped it into his large calloused hand. The palm faced up. But, all he did was smile. Now that the arm is in his hand, Bucky looked and found some scrapes scattered about. Nothing looked deep, but there’s dirt-smudged in and around the scrapes. 

“Nothing a quick clean up can’t fix.” Bucky hummed and nodded. “Let’s get to the feed hut and clean you up?” 

The boy followed Bucky in standing and heading to the hut. Bucky snorted in amusement when Ruth bleats and joins them. Once entering the hut, Bucky motioned for the boy to sit on the table, who did so silently. 

Bucky grabbed the first aid kit from the wall and set it on the table. He zipped it open and took out an alcohol whip package. Slipping a corner of the package into his teeth, Bucky tears it open. Taking the whip out, Bucky motions for the boy to hold his arm out. The boy nods and holds his arm out. 

Bucky flinches as he hears the boy hiss as the whip touches the scrapes. He doesn’t want to cause the boy more pain, so he works quickly. Setting the used whip aside, Bucky takes out a large bandage and passes it to the boy. 

There are no words needed. The boy opens the bandage and places it around his wrist.

“There, all cleaned up.” Bucky chirps, ruffling the boy’s hair. “Stay here. I have to get something from the house. And deal with some unwanted guests.” 

The boy nods and Bucky smiles picking up the used medical materials and toss them into the trash can. He zipped the first aid kit and placed it back on its hook. Stepping out of the hut, he turned his attention to his house and sighed. 

He knew the hell-storm that’s brewing in his house. And if Bucky is being truthful, he doesn’t want to deal with it.

* * *

“You’ll have a lot of explaining to do. I’m not happy about this.” Bucky growled. He stood at the kitchen table where Steve, Clint, and Sam had congregated. 

“What we need to do is discuss what to do with the Winter Soldier,” Steve says, completely ignoring what his best friend had said. “He’s dangerous! He’s tired too—” 

“The only thing he tried to do was feed the chickens and collect any eggs.” Bucky snaps, shutting Steve up and making the other two flinch. “And here you all are, bustin' down the door uninvited.” 

Bucky stood and waited from any of the men to say something. When they didn’t say anything, Bucky gave a disappointed snort and shook his head. He glanced at Sam, who still looked confused as before. Said man shrugged and gestured to Steve and Clint, who Bucky turned his gaze too. 

Both didn’t look at him. Though Bucky expected as much. All they had on their mind was to get rid of the Winter Soldier. 

Bucky pulled two chairs out and pointed at Steve and Clint, then the chairs. He held his hand up and shook his head when Steve tried to speak. Again, he pointed to the two men and the chairs. Both sat down.

“Why are you here?” Bucky walked to the kitchen counter and leaned against it. He stared down the men. 

“What’s gotten into you?” Clint argued, crossing his arms over his chest. “Why are you protecting him?” 

“Clint’s right, Buck.” Steve chimed in. “Why would you protect someone like the Winter Soldier? All he knows is Hydra! He could be a spy for all we know. And you hate the Soldier. There’s no need for you to protect him. You can rid yourself of him for good, Bucky, please. He’s dangerous.”

Bucky felt rage filling his body. He didn't know how Steve had gotten the assumption that he hated the Winter Soldier. He and Steve didn’t talk as much as Steve had hoped. This upset Steve, but Bucky knew that the man would respect any decision he makes. 

Even with the limited times he and Steve had converse, Bucky had mentioned how much he cursed Hydra. Everything they’ve done to him and made him do, he cursed them. He never told Steve about the presence he used to have in his head. The presence that he believes that had become the boy. Since the boy confirmed that he is the Winter Soldier, Bucky concluded that the presence was him. 

Bucky let Steve’s words around through his head for a few minutes. He crosses his legs and places his fist under his chin. Steve did during up a few things that Bucky did agree with. But there are many that he doesn’t agree with. 

“Hey, Barnes? You ok?” Sam asks.

Bucky looked at the man and nodded. He did feel bad for Wilson, he did. The man didn’t get a say in and from what he had told Bucky, didn’t know what was going on at all. 

“You are different, aren’t you?” Bucky turns to Steve and lets the disappointing show on his face. “I told you I cursed Hydra. That boy out there...Was he affiliated with Hydra? Yes. Was I affiliated with Hydra? Yes. Was that little witch you constantly coddle affiliated? Yes!” 

“So, Rogers,” Bucky hissed, “...what’s the difference between me, the witch and the boy?” 

“He’s the Winter Soldier, Bucky. Everything that happened was because of him.” Steve says, “You were forced and tortured. Wanda’s just a kid, she didn’t know better. The Soldier ruined your life for seventy years. You don’t have to deal with him anymore now, Bucky.”

Bucky stares at the man who he thought was his best friend. He’s doing what he can to keep his rage in check. He doesn’t need to fight his record. He’s here in Wakanda to heal, not to bash someone’s head in. And Bucky is very sure that T’challa wouldn’t be too humble about property damages caused by him going at it with Steve. 

“You gave Wanda and me the chance to redeem ourselves. Still giving her and I the chance. Why can’t you give the boy a chance?” Bucky takes a shaking breath, trying to steal his nerves.

“You don’t have to deal with the Winter Soldier anymore, Bucky. You don’t have to live with him anymore. We can take him and put him in Cryo or the raft.” Steve pleaded. 

And Bucky's rage goes over the edge. 

“Get out. Get out of my house and get off my property now! I don’t want any of you back here unless I have given permission.” Bucky screamed. “He’s a child, Steve. A child. He can be taught. But, I guess you don’t care about that. Leave.” 

“Bucky..” 

“I don’t want to hear it, Steve. Leave now, all you.” Bucky growls.

Bucky watched as the men left. He puts the chairs back in their places, then leans against the countertop. His only hand covering his face. 

“What happened to you, Steve? This isn’t the little guy from Brooklyn who was too dumb to run away from a fight that I know. I don’t know who this person is, but that’s not Steve.” Bucky wonders. This isn’t the Steve that he once knew. 

“You all right?” 

“I thought I told you to leave?” Bucky asks, turning to face Sam. 

Sam pulls a chair out and sits, much to Bucky’s annoyance. He didn’t know why the man came back, but Bucky isn’t in the mood to be toyed with. He’s close to hurting someone and Bucky is unsure if he can hold himself back if he’s pushed over the edge. 

Bucky knows he needs to be alone, but something about Sam has a calming aura. Like he’s been in this situation before. With how comfortable he sits in the chair, Bucky could think the man didn’t know what a tense situation was. But, it was the look in the man’s eyes that allowed Bucky to know that he’s ready for a fight if one is to come. 

“You did. But, something is off with this whole situation.” Sam crossed his arms and kicked a leg up on a close-by chair.

“Like what?”

“Steve told me—well everyone, that the Winter Soldier has his own body and is on the loose.” Sam leans back. “You also said you’d give me an explanation.” 

“I did say that, didn’t I.” Bucky nodded. In his rage, he’d forgotten about that. “Did Steve say anything else?” 

Sam shook his head, an ugly snort left him. 

“No. Couldn’t get a word in.” Sam capped the bottle and tossed in the air, entertaining himself as he told what he knew. “Steve said he found a possible location of the Winter Soldier and left just as fast as he came. I didn’t know where this location was, so I ran around like a chicken without its head. Some told me they saw Steve at your farm so I headed up. You know the rest.” 

“I’m not surprised.” Bucky rolls his eyes. 

Bucky heads to the refrigerator and opens it. Bending down, he opens a bottom crisper and grabs a bottle of water. He leans up and tosses it to Sam, who catches it and nods in appreciation. 

Bucky nods back and shuts the door. With how hot Wakanda gets, Bucky keeps some bottled water in the fridge. Bucky pulls a chair and sits. 

“So,” Sam gave a half nod. “That explanation?” 

“Steve invited me over to the gym for training, which I agreed to. I got there and everyone was doing their own thing. I noticed a strange-looking guy helping Wanda, but I didn’t think much of it.” Bucky watched as Sam nodded, then gestured for him to continue. “I was near the dumbbell weights when a bright red flash appeared. I woke up on the ground disoriented and found a kid next to me. Commotion happened and the boy escaped. He’s been here ever since.” 

“So, you’ve been looking after the boy that you just met?” Sam titles his head, confusion written on his face. The water bottle in his hand points toward Bucky. “That’s a little strange you know. I mean, you don’t know the kid.” 

“Yes.” Bucky snorted and shrugged. He didn’t think too much about the fact that he has allowed the kid to stay with him and not tell anyone of it. “And I didn’t plan on telling anyone about him either. But that didn’t happen now did it?” 

“A lot of things don’t go as planned when Steve’s involved.” Sam shook his head and got up from his chair. “I better get going. You probably have things to get too and let you calm down from what happened earlier.” 

Bucky nodded and thanked Sam for coming back and checking upon him. Bucky wouldn’t admit it aloud, but he’s glad that Sam had come back. He didn’t know what he would have done if he was alone. 

“Can I ask one more question?” Sam turned his head, his pointer finger raised.

“Sure.” Bucky shrugged, resting his face into his palm. “Have at it.” 

“Who’s the kid?” 

A frown pulls on Bucky’s lips. Did Steve not tell Sam that the Winter Soldier is the kid? Did Sam not hear the conversation that he and Steve just had? Going over what Sam had said, Bucky concludes; Steve has not told Sam about the soldier being a child.

But, Sam was there for the conversation! So did he ask? 

“You heard the conversation Steve and I had right?” Bucky asks, raising a brow. 

“Um...no,” Sam scratched the back of his neck, looking a bit guilty. “I had to use your bathroom. I saw Steve and Clint leaving.” 

_'Maybe I should tell him.'_ Bucky thought. It’s not his fault that Steve didn’t tell the other man that the Winter Soldier is a child. And it’s not fair to Sam that he’s been left out of some very important information. 

Then an idea struck him.

“Just a kid that I’ve been allowing to stay at my place.” Bucky says, “He’s not a big deal. You can ask Steve about him if you want.” 

Sam raised a brow, but before he could say anything, Bucky stood up from his seat. 

“I hate being a bad host, but I have a mess to clean and a child to put down for a nap.” Bucky scoots the chair under the table and makes his way to the front door.

“Right. Sorry about the mess those two had made.” Sam says as he follows Bucky out the front door, who waves him off. 

“It’s fine. Nothing can be done about it, now.” Bucky stopped and looked down at the chicken feed container. He used his foot to move the container and peeked inside, finding it empty. 

“True.” Sam patted Bucky on the back a couple of times and turned to leave. “See you sometime later, man.” 

“See you later.” 

Bucky watched as Sam left his property, then turned his attention back to the empty container. The goats must have polished it off while he was busy with Steve. Shaking his head and picking up the container, Bucky made his way to the feed hut. 

Once inside, Bucky didn’t see the boy sitting on the table. But a creak from above clued him into where the boy might have gone. Since coming to his farm, Bucky had noted that the boy had made the attic of his feed hut a safe space. Bucky didn’t have a use for the attic, due to not having anything to store. So, he didn’t see an issue with letting the boy turn it into a little hiding place. 

Setting the empty feed container on the table, Bucky climbed onto the table and peered into the attic. He found the boy resting his head against a square bale of hay. His hoodie lay over his frame like a blanket and the snoring meant that the boy had fallen asleep. 

“Should have known he'd fall asleep,” Bucky mumbled as he climbed off the table and left the hut. He kept the door unlocked but closed so Mini Steve couldn’t get in. He made his way back to the main house. He did have dinner to prepare and this would give the boy about an hour for his nap. 

Setting the oven to preheat, Bucky prepared a fillet of salmon that a farmer had gifted him. Bucky hadn’t had the fish for dinner, due to not knowing how he wanted to cook the fillet. And with the sudden addition of the boy, Bucky had forgotten about it. Once the oven was ready and the salmon seasoned, Bucky popped it and set the timer. 

Bucky opened a counter drawer and took two pieces of paper out. Setting them on the table, Bucky pulled the pencil out from his pants pocket and sat down in a chair. He had taken the note’s suggestion of writing down how he feels and started doing so on the second day. The strange feelings he had been going through have subsided. Except for what he had listed on the paper; 

_Weird feelings_

_\- Belly flutters when the boy wants to be held_   
_\- Anxious when thoughts of the boy being taken come up_   
_\- Overprotective of child_

He had sat down to write down any feelings that he may notice as strange. But, all he had noticed was the three things he had listed. Today didn’t seem to reveal any new feelings that Bucky would consider strange. Bucky classified threatening Steve as part of being overprotective of the child. Maybe he’s not picking up on the changes. 

Bucky shakes his head at the possibility. He’s Hydra trained. He’s able to notice anything and everything. No matter if it’s environmental, behavioral, or psychical. He’s trained to notice these and there isn’t a possibility for him to miss. 

_‘I can’t miss something like a change in my emotions or behavior.’_ Bucky thought to himself. Sliding the paper from his view, he slips the second to where the first had been. 

Bucky leaned forward in his chair and looked over the second list that he had made. This list notes things about the boy that’s been in his care since day one. Bucky made this list as a reference for himself since he knows that he has an issue with remembering things. 

Bucky let a small smile across his face as he read over the list. 

_Notes of the boy/Winter Soldier_

_\- Likes lollipops (possible sweet tooth?)_   
_\- Likes Ruth a lot_   
_\- Hides in the attic of the feed hut_   
_\- Follows the chickens around the place_   
_\- Doesn’t like doing chores_

Bucky chuckles when he reads the last point on the list. The boy had thrown a small tantrum when Bucky had hauled him out of the attic and passed a bucket of chicken feed to him. Bucky didn’t much appreciate the kid kicking and punching him, but allowed the tantrum. Afterward, he told the boy that even though he’s allowed to stay, he needs to help out around the farm. 

That it was only fair to give a hand and help keep the place clean and the animals well-fed. 

“It’s called responsibility,” Bucky remembers telling the child after they had sat down for dinner that night. “Parents call them chores.” 

Before Bucky could remember what else happened that night, the timer on the oven went off. Thus the memory's chased away. 

“Yeah, yeah. Shut up.” Bucky grumbled as he turned the timer and oven off. He pulled the fish out and set it on a potholder that he had placed on the counter when he made lunch. “Side dish? What side dish to have?” 

Opening the cupboards, Bucky only saw four packages of instant mashed potatoes. He made a mental note to go down to the market tomorrow and pick up supplies. He had not taken into account a child suddenly appearing in his care, so he’s ill-prepared to feed him. 

Grabbing two packages and heaving a sigh, Bucky shuts the door and sets a pot of water to boil. There’s only so much he can do with instant mashed potatoes and the boy seems to be getting tired of them. Not, that Bucky can blame him. He’s getting tired of the starchy food as well. 

Once the water had begun to boil, Bucky flicked the burner off and stirred the contains in. Setting plates on the table and portioning the food out; dinner was ready. Now he had a napping child to collect. 

Turning around Bucky felt something bump into him. With a grunt, he looks down and finds the boy’s face smashed into his belly. Bucky lets an amused snort out while says, “At least I didn’t have to wake you up.” 

“Come, dinner’s ready. Sorry, about there being mashed potatoes again. It’s all I have.” Bucky shepherds the boy into a chair and pushes his plate in front of him. “If you want to try something more solid, there’s salmon. Hopefully, we don’t have a repeat of last time.” 

Bucky watched the boy cringe and couldn’t help but feel the same. The vomiting noises were not pleasant at that time. And Bucky assumes neither of them wants to experience that again. 

“Sorry if dinner is a bit early. With how today went, I think heading to bed early would be fine.” Bucky slipped a bite of salmon into his mouth and watched as the boy nodded. 

Once his dinner is finished, Bucky sets his plate into the sink. He turns to the boy and finds that he had taken a few bites of the fish, but the look on the boy’s face gave Bucky concern. A hand over his mouth and the other on his stomach, Bucky expected the boy to run off and beeline to the restroom. 

“Stomach upset?” Bucky hums when the boy nods. “I’ll get you something for it.”

Bucky opens the refrigerator and pulls a bottle of 7up out. Setting the bottle on the counter, Bucky opens the cupboard and takes a cup out. Pouring soda into the cup, he hands it to the boy. 

“Why not head to bed and I’ll take care of feeding the animals tonight?” Bucky ruffles the boy’s hair as he sips at his drink. A chuckle comes from him when the boy nods and scampers off to the bedroom. 

Shaking his head, Bucky tales the boy’s unfinished salmon and puts it in the fridge. Bucky decides he’ll have the fish for lunch tomorrow. Once the table is cleaned off, Bucky heads out to give the animals their night feed. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky has to deal with the aftermath of the incident and goes to the market.  
> Sam's good at being a person who uses their brain, Bucky though...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had some difficulty with this chapter. It didn't want to be written.

The morning had come without much incident, which to Bucky is a relief. The man slid from the bed and dragged himself to the bathroom. His limbs ached from the night before. While he was giving the animals their last feeding for the night, Mini Steve had a brilliant idea! Headbutting Bucky. Who in turn, fell on his side and bruised his hip. 

Bucky knows he has to go to the market today, he needs more groceries to feed himself and the child. With his hip aching, Bucky will have to take longer than what he felt comfortable with. But, he isn’t going to let the bot strive on his watch. 

After taking a quick shower, Bucky towels off and slips into some clothes. He heads into the kitchen and starts breakfast.

Once finished, Bucky sat in his usual spot at the kitchen table. But the boy wasn’t in his lap, he had chosen a different chair. He didn’t look up at Bucky and this made Bucky...upset. 

Breakfast was eaten in silence. 

“What do you want me to get from the Market?” Bucky asked as he stood from his chair and opened a counter drawer. He took out a pen and a pad of paper. 

Bucky looked at the boy and found that he wasn’t looking up at him. Worry began to settle into his stomach. Had all his hard work gone down the drain? Five days of hard work to get this child to trust him, now, is it all for not? 

“Hey, you ok?” Bucky asks, voice full of concern. 

The child nods but still doesn’t raise his head. Bucky wants to ask again but decides to distract himself. Listing what groceries are needed, he doesn’t want to push too much and have the kid runoff as a result. If that incident has erased the trust that Bucky once had, then he’ll have to try extra hard to gain it back. 

“You can talk. I’m not going to hurt you for it.” Bucky turns to the child and watches as he shakes his head. But, the boy is now looking at him, so that’s a plus. “It’s ok. You can—” 

Bucky stops in his tracks as the boy flinches out of his reach. The terrified expression breaks the older man's heart. From what Bucky had gathered over the days the boy has been in his care; this kid is touched starved. With how the boy would lean into Bucky when they relaxed on the couch or when laying in bed, limbs around like a koala. Bucky can tell the boy is as touched starved as he is. 

So, to see the boy flinch away from his touch, Bucky felt himself break a little. 

“...Sorry…” The whisper is so low, that even someone with super hearing would have difficulty picking it up. “Look after the farm, ok? I should be back in a couple of hours.” 

Bucky shoved the list into his pants pocket and left the room. Not knowing that the boy had tried to reach out and grab his shirt. Speed walking off his farm and onto the path that led to the market, Bucky sucked his bottom lip into his mouth. So that he doesn't cry out. He wanted to yell, scream, and punch something. All that hard work now down the drain. 

Bucky would have to work harder now to gain the boy’s trust and to get him comfortable if that was even a possibility now. With Hydra having fucked up his head and the boy’s, Bucky knew it isn’t going to be easy to get back to the progress he once had. 

_‘...No wonder he wasn’t in my bed last night…’_ Bucky thought a sour taste filled his mouth and scorn crossed his lips. _‘Damn you, Steve. All that hard work, now down the fucking drain.’_

Rage filled the man’s body as he trekked farther down the path. Bucky’s so pissed, that he doesn’t feel the soreness of his bruised hip. Not until his steps into a pothole, causing the nerves in his sore hip to blare. 

Bucky swore under his breath. Now with the soreness more prominent than it had before, Bucky knew he’d have to slow his pace to not cause more pain. This day isn’t looking out to be his best. 

Looking up, Bucky saw he was just outside of the market. Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, Bucky strides in and puts on a friendly face. Waving to those who say good morning to him and entertaining the kids that run up to him with questions. These people don’t need to know that he’s having a bad morning. And snapping would be very rude, even if one would understand. 

Bucky had shooed off the small group of children that had congregated around him when he heard a voice. Looking up, Bucky saw Sam speed walking towards him.

And all Bucky could think was, _‘Ah fuck.’_

“You have to be kidding me. You’re keeping the—'' Sam stopped. From the expression that Bucky can see, the man suspects that his expression is not a good one. Bucky watched as Sam raised a hand and said; “Hey, you alright.”

Bucky stared at the other for a moment, contemplating if he should tell the other how he felt. The rage from earlier had simmered down to irritation. That being due to the children that had bombarded him with questions. Bucky knew that if he started to talk about how he’s feeling at this moment, there’s a likelihood of him wanting to punch something. He knew that he didn’t have the best grip on his anger. 

But, another thing came to his mind. Sam has been left in the dark with the situation with the boy. And as much as Bucky wants to say it’s none of anyone's business, there’s the fact that it is indeed part of Sam’s business. He was dragged into this and is now fully immersed. 

Taking a breath to steady his nerves, Bucky readied himself for his spell. 

“Five days of hard work to get that kid to trust me, all down the drain. I woke up to find him sleeping in the corner of my room when he would be hogging my bed.” Bucky strained to not hiss, he reminded himself that Sam was dragged into this mess. But, he did clinch a fist. “I can’t even touch him. If I try, he flinches. So ask me again if I’m alright.” 

Bucky took another breath and unclinched his fist. He’s a bit proud of himself, he didn’t lose his temper and trash the place. And Sam’s still in one piece too. So out of this situation, this is something that Bucky can count as a highlight. 

“Shit.” Sam huffed under his breath, shaking his head. “I know saying this isn’t going to fix anything that happened. But, I’m sorry. If I had gotten there sooner—” 

“Enough.” 

Bucky raised his hand as he cut Sam off. “It’s more my fault than anything. If I had said that I had him...maybe things could have been different.”

Bucky’s voice began to fill with uncertainty as he finished his sentence. His face dropped into a tired expression and shoulders slumped. One could tell that the man is drained and defeated. He’s done with the topic and wanted to get on with his shopping. Looking at the list now in his hand, Bucky wondered what item he should go and get first.

“Can’t dwell on what could have happened. Focus on what did and how to move on from it.” Sam clapped Bucky on his arm-less shoulder, making the man look up from his list. “It hasn’t been a day, he could be working out how he feels. Maybe you've misinterpreted how the boy acts.” 

“Doubt it, for both.” 

“Alright Mr. _I’m not using my brain right now_ , what’s that list you got there?” 

“Don’t call me names.” Bucky glared at the other. “It’s a grocery list. So, — Hey!” 

Bucky blinked at his now empty hand. And raised a brow at Sam, who had plucked the list and is now scanning the items that he had written earlier that day. Bucky reached out to take the list back, but Sam took a large step back and held his arm over his head. He used the other and wiggled a finger at Bucky. 

Bucky placed his hand on his hip and glared at the other. He wanted his list back. 

“Groceries. Huh?” Sam whistles, bringing the list back to his eye level. “Looks more like a shopping list than just groceries.” 

“Wasn’t expecting a child to be plopped into my care. The food I had gotten earlier this month wasn’t going to last feeding two people.” Bucky said, voice monotone. And this kid had an appetite that almost rivaled his. 

“I see. So, where are we heading too first?” Sam inquires. 

“We?” Bucky titles his head, his mouth agape in a confused manner. 

“I’m not leaving you on your own, not with how you sound.” Sam quirked an eyebrow up in a judgmental way. “Or you look.”

“What’s wrong with how I look?” Bucky grunted narrowing his eyes. 

“You look like you haven’t had a shower in a month.” 

“I look fine.” 

“Your hair is greasy. Like someone hasn’t washed their hair kind of greasy.” Sam exclaimed, taking a clump of Bucky’s hair and swings it side to side in front of the man’s eyes. 

“I showered this morning.” Bucky pouted, not bothering to stop Sam from messing with his hair. 

Looking at the clump that Sam had stopped swinging, Bucky did see the oily shine. But he’d taken a shower this morning, so why is his hair still oily? Blinking for a moment, Bucky thinks back and realizes something. He didn’t wash his hair like he had thought he did. 

Bucky sighed and pulled his hair from Sam’s fingers, letting it flutter into his face. He’s too tired to care about his hair at this moment. 

“Either your lying or the shampoo is not the best.” Sam crossed his arms and raised a brow at Bucky. 

“I use the cheapest one I can afford.” Bucky shrugged. He did see what the deal was with his buying the cheapest shampoo that he can get. 

“Doesn’t the King give you an allowance? I know he gives us one.” Sam questions. 

This left Bucky confused. Of course, T’challa gave Bucky an allowance. Shuri had insisted that Bucky be given a bit of money to help him while he got settled into Wakanda. Bucky had refused at first, saying that he wanted to do things on his own. But took the money when he's told that Steve and the others were getting an allowance as well. Knowing that if he didn’t Steve would have thrown a fit. 

“He does. I don’t spend a lot of the money on myself though.” The Royal family had done so much for Bucky and he’s very grateful. But, He doesn’t know how he’ll repay his debt to the family. So, spending the money he’s given wisely is the best thing he could do. 

“What do you spend it on?” 

“My animals.” Bucky deadpans. “I spend about half on animal feed and farm equipment. About five hundred is spent on food. A hundred and fifty in personal items. The rest is put aside.” 

“Okay and how much does the King give you?” 

Bucky doesn't understand why Sam is interested in how much the King gives him, but he answers anyway. “Eight thousand U.S. dollars. That’s what T’challa told me.” 

“Eight thousand U.S. dollars!!” Sam exclaimed. “He gives the Villa twelve thousand…”

Bucky hums. He doesn’t see why Sam is so surprised about the amount that T’challa gives him. He doesn’t live in the Villa with the rest of the Rogues, so he didn’t know how much they got each. But with the number that Sam had given, Bucky suspects that the amount for each person is two thousand.

“That’s two thousand per person, right?” Bucky hummed as Sam nodded. “How many live in the Villa?” 

“Six. Steve’s a little upset that you choose a farm over the Villa.” Sam snorted when Bucky rolled his eyes. The man didn’t care about what Steve thought about Bucky wanting to live on a farm. But listening to Steve whine was a nightmare. “You should have three thousand, three hundred fifty to spare.” 

“Three thousand, one hundred. Rent is two hundred and fifty.” Bucky corrected.

Bucky watched as Sam nodded, a thoughtful expression crossed his face. “Makes sense. Everything in the Villa is paid for. The money we get is for whatever we want.” 

“That makes sense.” 

“Okay, and how much of the side money have you saved?” Sam asks. 

“Eight thousand, seven hundred or so.”

Bucky blinked as Sam’s mouth fell open. The man’s eyes were as big as dinner plates and Bucky found himself wanting to laugh. Out of everyone that would have this reaction, Bucky didn’t think it would have been Sam. 

“And you’re buying cheap shampoo?!” Sam's upper lip twitched. “Yeah, no. Come with me, now.” 

“What? Why?” 

“Showing you a place that has good grade shampoos, conditioners, soaps, and whatnot. No more buying whatever cheap shit you’ve been getting.” Sam grunted, beginning to walk away from the other. “You have some funds to dip into, so do it.” 

“But I don’t—” Bucky started. 

“No buts from you Barnes! Now get your ass moving.” Sam called. “I have your shopping list, remember.” 

“What a time this will be.” Bucky shakes his head. 

Bucky followed after the man, needing to get his list back. But his pace is slow, due to the bruised hip. He didn’t know why, but having Sam with him...helped calm him down. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. He might even enjoy it. 

Sam showed Bucky a nice little shop that had some nice looking soaps and smelling shampoos. The shop had a sale going on, buy a soap along with a bottle and shampoo and conditioner for only twenty-five dollars. The two browsed and Bucky scented many shampoos and soaps. After a while, Bucky chose Orange Clove soap with Apricot shampoo and conditioner. He’s deciding between getting the boy Lavender soap with Apple Cider shampoo and conditioner or Apple Rose soap with Blueberry Lavender shampoo and conditioner. 

Bucky asked for Sam’s opinion on what to get and the man thought the Lavender and Apple Cider combo smelled nice. But, Bucky wasn’t so sure. He liked the Lavender and Apple Cider combo too, but the Apple Rose and Blueberry Lavender were a good one too. Bucky even asked the cashier, who said he liked the Lavender and Apple Cider combo. So, Bucky bought that combo. 

“If he doesn’t like it, I can give him mine.” Bucky had said as he and Sam wandered off to another shop. After getting everything on the list, the men begin to head back to Bucky’s farm. While the two were heading out, Bucky spotted a shop that had different lollipops. 

Pointing to the shop, Bucky said “I have to replace the lollipop the boy dropped the other day.” 

“Alright,” Sam said.

Once Bucky had purchased the candy, he slipped the bag onto his arm and thanked the cashier. Both men leave the shop and start down the path that leads to Bucky’s farm. While walking, Bucky looked at the bags that Sam and he carried. 

Sam had most of the bags on his arms. Each arm had five bags filled to the brim with food, personal items, or things that both men thought the boy may like. Bucky felt a tinge of guilt in his gut at having to have Sam carry most of the bags. With only a single-arm, Bucky would only hold so much. And the extra money he had to spend today... 

“There, that wasn’t so bad now was it?” Sam says, turning his head to Bucky. 

“I feel like I committed treason today.” Bucky sighs, guilt pooling in his gut. 

“And why’s that?” Sam raised a brow. 

“I spent so much unnecessary money. What if an emergency pops up and I can’t afford it?” Bucky says worry etches onto his face. 

“Barnes, you only spent an extra eighty dollars.” Sam rolled his eyes and shook his head. From what he experienced with this outing, the man had concluded that Bucky doesn’t use his brain from time to time. Which Sam couldn’t blame the other for. Having your brain fried for seventy years would do that to you. “You do realize that minimum wage has gone up since the forties, right?” 

“It...has?” 

“Lord almighty give me the strength.” Sam threw his head to the sky, eyes rolled so hard that they could have tumbled from their sockets. “I’ll explain it later, but yes, the minimum wage has gone up. It’s ok to spend more money, do it responsibly.” 

Bucky felt himself face heat up. Of course, in seventy years minimum wage would have gone up. How else would people be able to afford anything in this time with a minimum wage of thirty cents an hour. Indeed the wage of Forties wouldn’t be able to sustain someone in today's time. 

He didn’t know what the wage is today, but he’s sure it’s over thirty cents. 

The two walked in silence for a while. Bucky didn’t know what to say to get another conversation started. He wasn’t a good conversationalist now. Hydra had whipped that from his mind, like how they whipped his memories of Steve and the cocky swagger kid how followed. 

“So, tell me about the kid,” Sam says, a little bop in his step. 

“He doesn’t talk.” Bucky shrugged. “Well choose not to. I think he’s still in Hydra mode, at least somewhat.” 

“What gives you the impression?” Sam asks, stopping. 

“He follows everything I say like it's an order. I told him, he wouldn’t be punished for talking…” Bucky trailed off. He stopped and turned his gaze to the Earth beneath his and Sam’s feet. “But he won’t.” 

“He’s terrified, Wilson,” Bucky mumbled, his voice full of pain.

Bucky looked up to the other and swallowed the lump in his throat. The terrified look the child had when Bucky stumbled upon the incident flashed in his mind. Bucky shook his head to push the memory back.

“A few days ago, he dropped a bucket of feed and I swear he looked like he was expecting a beating.” 

“Shit,” Sam swore under his breath. A hateful expression crossed his face before going back to neutral. 

“There’s something else that confirms my suspicion.” 

Sam raised a brow and nodded to the other. “What would that be?” 

“He arms me. Doesn’t matter if it’s a knife from the kitchen, a sharp farm tool, or even a gun. He makes sure I’m armed.” Bucky supplied. The man’s face turned disgusted as the thought of himself giving the boy a beating crossed his mind. His stomach churned and acid burned the back of his throat. It’s taking Bucky every ounce of willpower not to blow chunks. 

“Why?” Sam asks, low. His voice is soft and pulls Bucky from the thoughts that plagued his mind at the time. 

“Hydra taught us— me— to arm our handlers. So they could deactivate us if they saw fit.” 

“Deactivate? As in—” Bucky gives a curt nod, lifting his hand to his temple and making a gun shape with his fingers. 

“Sons of bitches!” 

Bucky let Sam fall into a triad of swearing. He may not be as vocal as the other is with his thoughts. But, knowing that someone else is pissed about what Hydra has done is enough for him. 

Once Sam had finished his sepal, Bucky nodded to the path. Asking if the other is ready to continue moving on. Sam nodded and the two started heading out. Bucky let Sam get ahead, he can tell that the other is still fuming and he wanted to give him space. 

“I’m working with him, but it’s going to take some time,” Bucky says as he catches up to Sam. “A lot of time.” 

“I know. And the incident yesterday…” 

“I always thought it was a bad idea for him to meet others. Yesterday confirmed that.” Bucky sighed, shaking his head. “I lost the progress that I gained…” 

“Still don’t think it’s lost. At least not all of it.” Sam reassures, patting Bucky on his back. “I’m sure he’ll bounce back. Kids are more resilient than what you’re giving credit.” 

“Maybe?” Bucky sounded hopeful, but his expression didn’t match the tone of his voice. “Sorry for making you carry most of the bags.” 

“It’s fine.” Sam hums. “And chin up. I’m sure this kid will be bonding down to us once he sees us.” 

Bucky wasn’t sure if he believed Sam. It would be nice to have the kid come running down from the house to greet him. like any child would do to their parent who has been gone for some time. But, the reality is that...it won’t happen. 

“This has to be hard on you,” Sam speaks after a moment of silence. 

“It is,” Bucky said. 

An awkward silence falls on the two again. And it’s most uncomfortable, but Bucky doesn’t know how or what to do to get rid of it. He’s not the best at holding conversations. But, Sam, being the saving grace that he is, speaks up. 

“So, what’s the boy’s name?” He says, watching as Bucky nods. “Can’t keep calling him ‘boy’ or other things like that.” 

“He’s playing a game. He gave me twelve names and I have to go through each one. If the name isn’t the one, then I cross it out.” 

Bucky watches as Sam nods next. The two walk as they make more small talk. So the two have made it to Bucky’s farm. Bucky looks up and finds someone waiting next to the gate that closes the goats in their paddock. 

Bucky notices Sam tensing and he does the same. Someone was on his farm and he didn’t know who. He didn’t know what they wanted or what they could do. But when the two have gotten closer to the farm, they relax to see who’s there. 

“Okoye? What are you doing here?” Bucky asks once he’s near the warrior.

“The King requests a meeting with you, White Wolf,” Okoye says in a friendly tone. 

Bucky nodded wondering why the King wanted a meeting with him. He did have a feeling about why T’challa would call a meeting. But, he kept his suspension to him and his trap shut. He didn’t want to say anything in case the boy was in hearing range. 

Bucky leaned into the fence but pulled away with a hiss. He had leaned into the fence with his bruised hip. And now a searing pain is shooting through his nerves. He’d rub the bruise to soothe the pain, but his hand and arm are full of grocery bags. 

Okoye had noticed the pain, she didn’t say anything. Something Bucky is grateful for. He doesn’t like telling people that Mini Steve has sent him to the ground more than a few times. 

“Can it be postponed until tomorrow? The day after if possible?” Bucky asks face pulled in a pained expression. He’s beginning to wonder why it’s taking him so long to heal from this bruise. He’s healed from worse in a matter of days, so why is a bruise taking so long? 

“It can, if necessary.” 

Bucky let a smile fall on his face at this. 

“I’d like that. Mini Steve gave me a bruise that I want to heal from.” Bucky saw the warrior nodded. But then another thing came to Bucky’s mind. “And I need to find...um...someone to watch the…” 

“You can bring him if you wish.” 

“I’ll think about it,” Bucky says. 

“I must leave now, take care, White Wolf. Take care, Wilson.” Okoye nods to both men and leaves. 

Bucky sighs as he heads to the house. The pain is now a dull ache in his side. Setting the bags on the table, Bucky takes a deep breath in. There’s a hint of spice and warmth in the air, which settles comfortably in his lungs. The smell of home always comforts Bucky when he’s had a long and exhausting day.

“She could kick my ass and I’d thank her for it,” Sam says as he walks into the kitchen. The contents in the bag make muffled noises as they land on the table. 

“You and me, both.” Bucky agrees, opening the cupboard and placing food packages inside. 

“Let’s get these bags in the house.” 

“They are in the house.” 

Bucky turned to Sam and found the other with a half-smirk on his face. Bucky could feel the corner of his lips pull in a smirk as well. A breath of air left Bucky’s lips and soon he’s laughing hard enough to have his sides hurt. This, in turn, cause Sam to burst out laughing. 

Once they had calmed down, Bucky grabbed a bag and plopped it into the counter next to him. The one-armed man hums a tune, minding his own business. Sam was separating the bag contents on the table. With a total of fifteen bags to go through, this made it easier for Bucky to put the items away. Both enjoyed the silent company of the other. 

Bucky’s ears perked up as the sound of footsteps drew close to the kitchen. Bucky is next to the table about to grab a few cans of mixed veggies when he turns to the kitchen door and sees a blur. The next conscious thought that comes to his mind is that he now has a small person hanging off of his front. The legs around his waist are tight, as well as the arms. Bucky grunts and looks at the figure that has latched itself to him. His gaze is met with a pluff of brown hair. A nose buried deep into his shirt. 

“Hey, easy there! You’ll knock the food in my hand.” Bucky says as he sets the canned food back down onto the table. He snorts when the kid looks up at him, his small chin completely engulfed in his shirt. 

Bucky heard the groan from the boy and chuckled. A pout pulled on the boy’s face, then he buried it into the shirt again. The tightening of the kid’s arms is the only thing Bucky needed to know. This boy wanted a hug from the older man and wasn’t taking no for an answer. Slipping his arm around the boy’s being, Bucky leaned his head down so his nose was touching the top of the boy’s head.

Bucky glanced at Sam, who had a rather smug expression on his face. This made the man glare. Though he is grateful that Wilson is keeping his mouth shut about this. But like all good things, this didn’t last long. 

The child wiggled out from Bucky’s hold and made his way to the bags that Sam hadn’t gone through yet. While the boy looked, Bucky placed his hand on his hip and rubbed. The child had brushed the bruise and now an ache returned. 

“What are you looking for?” Bucky asks as he walks over to the boy, who’s sifting through the bags. 

The child doesn’t say words. But makes a noise that's between a happy squeak and yelp as the kid finds the contents of a certain bag. Bucky recognizes the bag as being the one that holds all the lollipops that had gotten from that candy shop. 

“You wanted a lollipop, didn’t you?” Bucky asks. The boy looks up and nods. Bucky looked at the clock on the oven, which read: 2:45 pm. Bucky thought for a moment, then let a sigh leave his lips. 

“Fine, but no more for the night,” Bucky says looking down at the child. “Understood?” 

The boy nods and selects a blue lollipop. He opened the candy and popped it into his mouth. He turns around and hugs Bucky before running off. 

Bucky sighed as he watched the boy leave. It felt good to hold him, to have him against his chest and face buried in his shirt. Looking at Sam, Bucky sighs again. 

“Maybe you’re right.” Bucky notices Sam giving him a raised brow. “Maybe I had overreacted.”

“It’s quite possible. He seems very happy to see you back home.” Sam hums as he nods. He looks in the direction the boy had gone. Bucky couldn’t see his face, but from the posture, he can tell that Sam is thinking. 

“Yeah,” Bucky says after a few moments of silence. “I didn’t expect him to jump onto me and demand a hug while someone is in front of us. He’s very shy.” 

“I’m...surprised.” Sam hums. “Since he’s the Winter Soldier, I’d thought he would be more...open? I don’t know how to say it, but you get what I mean?”

Bucky nods. He understands what Sam is trying to say. If Bucky had not known how the presence— the Soldier— acted, he’d thought that boy would be more open too. But, he knew otherwise. The kid is shy and quiet. It’s something that he has to work on and it’ll take time. But, Bucky’s up for the challenge. 

The two go back to putting groceries away and after the man goes to the living room and sits down. Bucky props his feet up and leans back in the armchair. He and Sam continued to make small talk until Sam had to leave.

“Thanks for the help,” Bucky says as he holds the door open. “I appreciate it.” 

“Not a problem. Steve’s probably wondering where I’m at.” Sam nods. 

“I have a kid that needs to take a nap soon.” 

“Good luck.” 

“I’m going to need it.” Bucky chuckles as he shakes Sam’s hand. Soon the man is off heading back to the Villa. “So you going to nap the easy way or the—” 

Turning around Bucky finds the boy holding the pillow that is from his bed. Bucky lets a small smile pulled on his lips at the sight. The boy is sleepy, his shoulders slumped and posture sluggish. The pillow is clutched to his chest by his metal arm. 

“Want me to be with you?” Bucky asks.

Bucky snorts in amusement when he sees the boy put a thinking face on and then nods. 

“Okay, I can do that.” Bucky sees the boy rub his eyes with his flesh hand. “Naptime, kiddo.” 

“Want to be picked up?” The boy nods and holds his free arm up. Bucky chuckles as he walks over to the boy and lifts him. “Alright, come here.” 

Bucky hums as he feels the boy get comfortable against him. The boy nuzzles his face into Bucky’s neck and the man shivers against the warm breath. As he makes his way to the room, Bucky’s ears pick up on something. 

“You say something?” Bucky asks. He waits for an answer, but all he's greeted with is snoring. 

“I swear I heard you say something,” Bucky says to himself, he stops at his bedroom. He left the door open, but it had closed itself. Bucky slipped his foot under a corner that’s sticking out and opens the door. He sets the boy on the bed and watches as he curls into the bed. Bucky hums as he slides next to the boy. The last thing he mumbles before sleep takes him is...

“... _Dad._..I’m sure that’s what you called me.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a link to a pic of [Frost](https://dragon-stones.tumblr.com/post/621856126164697088/i-used-a-game-to-made-frost-if-anyone-is) that I have (game was used, credited on post)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dr. Strange comes for a visit and in the morning Bucky and Frost meet with T'challa.

Bucky had only gotten an hour or so of sleep. So, slipping out from his bed, Bucky heads to the kitchen. He made sure that he stayed quiet to not wake the boy. He didn’t know what he’ll be cooking for dinner, but he had time to think. With the cupboards and refrigerator full, options are higher than the weeks before. Bucky pulled a chair from the table and sat. with his head tilted into his hand, Bucky yawns. He’s still sleepy from his nap. 

As he was about to fall asleep, a bleat sounded. Turning around, Bucky found Ruth standing in the doorway again. Sighing, Bucky stood from the chair and motioned for the goat to follow him. He walked to his bedroom and let the goat in. Ruth snorted and hopped onto the bed and lay down next to the child. Over the days, Bucky had noticed how much the goat likes the boy. Leaving the door cracked, Bucky trails back to the kitchen and gets ready to prep dinner. 

Bucky’s ears perked up when the sounds of footsteps reached. Turning his head, Bucky smiles. The boy’s walking in, rubbing his eyes and Ruth is at his side. 

“Good, you're up. Sleep well?” Bucky asks, setting a plate onto the table. 

The boy nods, steps to the table and slides into the chair, Ruth is right by his side. Said goat lifts her head and bleats, drawing the attention of the two humans. Bucky sighed and pointed to the front door. He's done this with Ruth many times. So the goat knows what he's saying and she usually obeys without complaint. But ever since the boy had come to live with Bucky, Ruth has second thoughts about the house rules. She isn’t fond of leaving her new human. 

She bleats. 

“Ruth, please. He can come out after dinner.” Bucky tries to persuade the goat but gets an annoyed bleat to his face. A snorting sound behind him and Bucky glare at the child, who is watching with an amused eye. 

“Outside, dear,” Bucky says as he shoos Ruth out of the house, who bleats one last time. Coming back to the kitchen Bucky sits in his chair and heaves a sigh. 

Bucky turned to the kid and glared. Mostly due to the boy’s face being twisted up in a laugh. The kid didn’t seem to care that Bucky was glaring at him. If anything, that causes the child to burst out laughing. Much to Bucky’s annoyance. Ruth has always been a polite lady in the house, but with the boy...

“I made ground chicken for dinner with rice and corn,” Bucky says once the boy stopped laughing. 

The child looks at the older man, then back at his plate. Bucky knows that the rice and corn wouldn’t hurt the child’s stomach, but the chicken is another concern. The older man watches as the boy gobbles the rice and corn down, but moves the chicken about the plate. 

“Something wrong?” Bucky asks, sitting on the edge of his chair. 

The boy shrugged. Though Bucky caught a glimpse of the boy’s right hand slipping to his belly. 

“Is it food?” Bucky questions, setting his chin in the palm of his only hand. “I’ve noticed that solid foods have been giving you trouble.” 

Bucky watches with bated breath as the boy shakes his head and spoons some chicken into his mouth. Seconds become minutes and the child isn’t showing signs of being in discomfort, much to Bucky’s relief. This is a good step. 

A very good step. 

“Here, let me see that,” Bucky says, outstretching his hand. He watched the child scratch at his flesh arm and remembered the patch up he did. The boy slips his arm into Bucky’s hand, who looks at the non-bandaged wrist. “It’s healing well.” 

With a nod, Bucky lets the boy slip his arm from his hand. The boy goes back to spooning chicken into his awaiting mouth. Bucky hums as he forks his dinner into his gullet. The soft thumps of the boy’s leg tapping against the wooden chair. 

Once dinner's finished, Bucky sets his plate into the sink. The boy didn’t finish all his chicken, but Bucky's pleased that most of it had been eaten. With the chicken in the fridge, Bucky turns back to the boy and sees that he’s drumming the fingers on his right hand. Though there’s no ‘thump, thump, thump’ that accommodates with finger drumming. 

Bucky felt worry pooling in his belly, so he kneels to the child’s level. Bucky felt a half-smirk pulling on his lips when the boy looked at him, head tilted and a brow raised. He couldn’t stop the thoughts of how cute the child was able to make himself look. But he can tell that the boy has something on his mind. 

“You ok?” Bucky asks, letting the boy lean into him. “You can tell me what’s bothering you.” 

The man waited for the boy to say something, but nothing. The child is still silent as the day Bucky met him. But, he can see the boy opening and closing his mouth as if contemplating to speak or not. Bucky did want the boy to speak, but he knows that forcing would not help the situation. So, he waits until the boy wants too. 

Bucky perks up when he hears a fizzing like noise and turns to his left. What he sees is very...puzzling. A ring of orange appears from what seems to be thin air. Bucky stood up and took a defensive position. He didn’t know what this was and that unnerved him. There’s the noise of wood scraping against the wood and weight pressing against Bucky’s side. 

Standing between the boy and this ring, Bucky’s hand twitches, wanting to reach for the knife that’s in the sink. Bucky tilted his head when he saw something in the orange ring. It was...a library? 

_‘That’s strange.’_ Bucky though, but still stayed on guard. He didn’t know what would happen and wanted to keep the boy safe. 

The two flinched when a figure popped into view, but Bucky relaxed when he saw who it was. The man walked through the fizzy ring and it collapsed on itself once the man was on their side. Bucky gave the man a nod and he did the same. 

“I’ve come to check on the situation.” Strange says, turning his gaze to the boy that is now hiding under Bucky’s shirt. 

Wait, when did that happen? 

“I would say ‘come in’ but you're already in,” Bucky says, staring at the boy under his shirt. “Steve and a few rouges come by earlier in the week. He’s a little skittish at the moment.” 

Seems the captain isn’t good at following orders.” Strange mused. 

“Damn it, Steve.” Bucky snorted. The man has always been a punk. 

Bucky sighs as the boy pulls the shirt up to peak out, then pulls it down. Bucky knew that this shirt was going to be stretched out in no time. The other man raised a brow but didn’t say anything, which Bucky is thankful for. 

“I can see the child a little later,” Strange said, turning his attention to the other adult. “What about you? Noticed anything about yourself?” 

Bucky blinks for a moment. Did he want to say anything in front of the boy? The child at this moment is his whole world, but there are some things that Bucky doesn't want the child to know. Like how much of a sap Bucky gets or how he easily misread a situation. 

Like earlier with Sam and the market. 

“A bit overprotective. Kicked Steve and a few Rouges off my farm earlier this week.” Bucky says after careful consideration of what he’ll say. 

“Interesting, anything else?” Strange nodded. 

“Not that I’m aware of,” Bucky said, removing his shirt from the boy’s face. Said boy didn’t like that and huffed. “I do have a list of things I’ve noticed about him.” 

“May I see?” Strange asks, extending his hand. 

“Yeah, here.” Bucky nodded, heading to the drawer that kept the list. Opening the drawer and slipping the paper into his hand, Bucky turned to the Sorcerer. He’s about to hand it to the man, but the boy tried to snatch it. 

“Hey, I don’t think so.” Bucky huffed, keeping the paper out of the boy’s reach. Said boy puffed his cheeks out in a pout. 

Bucky handed the paper to Strange, while he kept the pouting child to his side. Strange took the paper and read over the list. Bucky patted the boy’s head in a way to comfort or calm the child. The child swatted at his hand. Bucky suspects a pout on the boy’s face. 

_‘Acting like a child’_ , Bucky mused to himself. 

“It’s telling.” Strange mused. “A little.”

“Is it bad?” Bucky asks, shifting on his feet. The weight of the boy did help in stealing him. 

“I’m unable to say.” Strange “But, I do have to examine the boy.” 

“Right,” Bucky said. He knelt to the boy, who looked up and raised his hands. Bucky knew the boy wanted to be picked up since he did this when scared. “Can he check you over?” 

The boy shakes his head, much as Bucky has suspected. He knew that the boy wasn't a fan of being close to strangers, which Bucky couldn’t blame him for. The boy didn’t have good experiences with strangers. He's looking at Bucky for comfort and protection. 

When Bucky didn’t pick the child up, he watched as the boy hid his face into the old man’s chest. Bucky felt his chest swell and heart flutter. Slipping his arm around the boy, Bucky sets his chin against his chest. He blows a huff of air from his nose into the boy’s hair. Which makes the boy grunt and pull away. 

“Why would you let him check you?” Bucky asks, patting the boy’s head again. “Are you nervous?” 

The boy grunted but nodded. 

Bucky straightened himself and turned to the other adult in the room. “Would another day work?” 

“I would like to examine him now, if possible.” Strange says, though his tone is rather...soft? Bucky couldn’t put his finger on it, but he noticed how the other was careful with his demeanor in front of the child. “We’re dealing with an unknown spell and it’s properties.”

“So, you're saying that we’re in uncharted waters?” Bucky titles his head, feeling the boy hiding against his leg. 

“Yes.” Strange nodded. 

Bucky let himself think for a minute, his hand rubbing against his chin. With a nod, he turns to the child and says; “Go to my room. I want to talk too...our visitor in private.” 

The boy nodded and headed off without complaint. Bucky turned to the man, who had a puzzled look about. 

“Is something wrong?” He asked. 

“It’s about how I’ve been feeling.” Bucky pushed the lump in his throat down, his fingers tapping against the tabletop. “I don’t want to say it in front of the boy, but the thought of him leaving…” 

“You don’t want this...situation to be temporary, do you?” Strange asks, pulling a chair out and sitting down. 

“Yeah, you’re right.” Bucky sighs, sitting on a chair he pulled out for himself. Running his hand through his hair, Bucky lets another sigh out. “Call me selfish, but I don’t want to lose him. At least not like this. I don’t want him to lose what he’s— he’s curious. So curious....excited...and dare I say— happy.” 

Bucky can feel Strange’s eyes on him, but he doesn’t lift his head. The shame of wanting the boy to keep his body and be free has set in. The man should know that he shouldn’t be feeling shame in wanting this. He knows that the child is the Winter Soldier. But the Soldier is a tool— a weapon— Hydra had created to help them take over the world. But seeing this supposed weapon as a child and being free. Free to develop a curiosity for things around him...Bucky’s heart wanted to flutter from his chest. 

He’s become attached to the boy and he knows it. If this wasn’t permanent, Bucky wouldn’t know if he’d be able to cope. The child has much of a right to learn how to be a person as much as Bucky does. And Bucky knows that he isn’t the old living being to have gotten attached to the child. The only pure white goat, Ruth has as well. And Bucky knows how upset Ruth will get if she would never get to see her favorite boy again. 

Bucky gulped before looking up at the other man, who’s been listening. The Sorcerer had a cup of tea in one of his scarred hands, which Bucky is wondering where it came from. 

“I don’t know if this is permanent or not. That’s why I have to examine the child, so I can determine...or to assess the situation better.” Strange sipped his tea, which Bucky notes is being held but the red floaty clock that is around the man. “As for being selfish...I can not say. There’s a relation between you and the boy. But, since I haven’t observed you— observed him, I can not say if you’re being selfish.” 

“Guess that’s true.” Bucky sighs, leaning his cheek into his open palm. 

“Tea?” Strange asks. 

“Sure, that’ll help me rela—” Bucky raised a brow when a cup of tea appeared next to him. Startled by the cup and liquid that had come from thin air. He didn’t feel comfortable with the thought of magic existing. But, he pushed that to the back of his mind. Magic is the reason the boy is here today. 

“Oh...thank you,” Bucky says, picking up the tea and taking a sip. 

Strange leaned forward in his chair, his hands folding in against his knees. “The best advice I can give is...hope for the best, but expect the worst.” 

“Right.” Bucky nods, setting the tea down and standing up. “let me get the little punk.” 

Bucky heard the amused snort for the Sorcerer as he left the room. Heading down the hall and to the door on the left, Bucky knocked. There’s the sound of the bed creaking but no other sound. Bucky let a snort out and opened the door, finding the boy sprawled on the bed, which Bucky could not blame him for. He’s feeling tired as well. 

Though he did not want to move the boy, he knows that he has too. The faster this encounter is over the faster he and the child can go to bed. After taking care of the nightly chores. 

With an exasperated sigh, Bucky shakes the boy. In response to the movement, the child grunts, and rolls away from the man. The pillow bragged with. Bucky couldn’t help but roll his eyes. 

“Up! You’re needed.” Bucky snorts at the answer he gets. 

The boy rolls over again and grunts. The tired look the child has mirrored that of Bucky’s, which the older man knows. He also knows that the boy doesn’t want to be examined by someone who uses magic. 

“There’s nothing to be scared of. I’ll be right there.” Bucky flops his arm under his chin and waits for the boy to show signs of understanding and trusting him. “I’ll be there, I promise.” 

Bucky smiles when the boy slides himself off the bed and to the door. Getting up and following the child, Bucky nods to the other man. Dr. Strange nods and stands gracefully from his seat. The movement did cause the boy to press himself against Bucky’s leg. But the older man gave a comforting pat on the child’s head.

“It’s ok.” Bucky cooed, rubbing the child’s back. “I’m right here.” 

Bucky watches as the child nods and leans away from his leg. This made the other adult give a half-smile, which makes Bucky smile as well. 

“Alright, now hold still. This will take only a few minutes.” Strange says as he lifts his hands. The orange magic surrounds that boy and within a few minutes, the exam is over. “There, done. From what I can tell, he’s healthy. As for the spell, it’s unknown and that makes this complicated. All I can say for now is keep an eye on him.” 

“You don’t need to tell me to do that.” Bucky chuckles as he watches the boy hide behind him. He turns to the other man with a hand outstretched. “Thank you, for helping.” 

“Take care.” Strange says, taking Bucky’s outstretched hand and giving a firm shake. He turns around and lifts his hands. One arm spins in a circle and Bucky jumps when that orange fizzing sounding circle appears again. 

Both watches as the man walks through the circle and disappears as the thing collapses. Bucky blinks before turning to the child at his side and says, “See not do bad was it?” 

The boy crossed his arms and let a huff of a snort out. His cheeks puff out with the air he sucked in. 

“Don’t be like that.” Bucky rolled his eyes, patting the child’s hair. “Now let’s get these nightly chores done and head to bed.”

The boy swats at Bucky’s hand, then let’s a groan out. The older man knows that the boy doesn’t mind doing morning and afternoon chores, but the night is not a favorite. But still helps when Bucky tells him. 

“Stop that, you’re acting like a little punk.” Bucky snarks, causing the boy to snort and swat at the man’s leg. “I have to see the King tomorrow. I may have to take you with me.” 

The boy looks up, a larger pout on his face. He even crossed his arms, which Bucky found cute. But he knew why the boy was having a pout about. The boy doesn’t want to go to the palace, due to him not being comfortable with people. Bucky understood this but knew that the child would have to socialize at some point in his new life. 

There’s also the fact that at this moment, the child's indeed tired. 

“I know you're tired, but I had to tell you,” Bucky says, ruffling his hair. “Now, come on. Night chores.” 

As Bucky heads to the door leading out of the kitchen, he hears something and turns his head. The boy isn’t looking at the older man, but with how the child is fiddling with his fingers, Bucky knows that he’s nervous. So using a gentle voice, Bucky asks, 

“You say something?” 

The boy bites on his lower lip and seems to be thinking. Bucky sighs and turns around, ready to head out. But the smallest sound stops him in his tracks. 

“Bu—”

Bucky turned his head to the boy and smiled. He almost said a word! The boy almost said a word. He knew that encouragement would help that boy speak. 

“Come on, you can tell me,” Bucky says, heading back to the boy and knelt. The boy shakes his head, hiding his face in his hands. Bucky gave a half-smile and moved to pull the child’s hands down. “Can you at least give me your name? Can’t keep calling you ‘boy’ and ‘child’ you know.” 

The child looked at the older man and slipped his hands from him. He walked to the drawer that housed the paper, pens, and pencils. He opened the drawer and took a slip of paper out and a pencil. He headed to the table and started to scribble something down. 

Bucky tried to peek at what the boy was writing, but the child pulled the paper closer to him and glared at the older man. Bucky raised his hand and backed off. Once the boy had finished, Bucky held his hand out. But the boy didn’t give it to him. The boy pulled his hand that had the paper behind him.

“This is for earlier isn’t it?” Bucky asks, a smirk pulling on his lips. The boy smiles, letting a small giggle out. “Fine, but I’ll get that paper. One way or another, you hear me.” 

The boy snorts a laugh, much to Bucky’s amusement. But, chores needed to be done. So, standing up Bucky says; “Now, let’s get those night chores done.” 

The boy stuffed the paper into his jean’s pocket and took off. Bucky snorted at the boy’s antics, but it’s a refreshing sigh. After how eventful that week has been, it's nice to see the boy acting like he does when it's him and Bucky. This is one of the few reasons why Bucky loves having the boy with him. 

“Game on, kid. Game on.” 

Bucky shook his head and stood up. Heading to the front door, Bucky had a feeling that tonight will be an easy night. And an easy night is a good night for them. 

“I think Mini Steve has it out for me,” Bucky says as he rubs the left side of his hip. The goat decided that his hip is a perfect target. “This is the second time he’s headbutted my hip.” 

The boy nods and a yawn leaves his lips. Bucky knows that the boy's tired and with how eventful with the week had been, he doesn’t blame the boy for being tired. He had spotted the child dragging his feet all night, the feed bucket dangles in his arms. 

Bucky smiled and took the bucket from the boy. Said boy didn’t appear to notice the bucket being taken but leaned into Bucky’s body. This made Bucky know that the boy is indeed tired. 

“Head to bed. I’ll finish up here.” Bucky says, herding the boy to the house, who nodded and headed to the building without a word. Bucky smiled as he watched that kid head home. 

Bucky took a sigh and turned to the animals that were eating their dinner and in the correct pens. “Alright you all, goodnight. No, dicking around the place, that means you, Mini Steve.” 

Said goat looked at Bucky with an innocent face. As if the goat didn’t know what the man is talking about, but Bucky knows better. Mini Steve is a little shit and to not let your eyes off of the goat, in case the mammal got into something he shouldn’t have. Which Bucky knows the goat loves to do.

“See you all in the morning.”

Heading to the feed hut, Bucky sighs at the small ache in his back. Bucky knew that his back has been hurting him lately, due to Mini Steve headbutting the man. Opening the feed hut, Bucky steps in and breathes in the warm air of the hut. 

Setting the tools in their proper places, Bucky yawns. Stretching, the older man feels his back pop and sighs at the nice feeling that he felt. Stepping out of the feed hut, Bucky locks it up and looks at the barn that held the animals. With a sigh, Bucky heads to the house. 

After entering, Bucky locks up the place and heads to his room. Spotting the door cracked and light filtering out, Bucky pushes it open and peeks in. The boy is already in bed and the sound of snoring is light but prominent. A smile crosses his lips when he steps into the room. 

“Asleep already, I see,” Bucky says, knowing that the boy was very tired. “What’s this?” 

Bucky blinked as he saw a piece of folded paper on his pillow. Wondering what it was, he picked it up and flipped it open. Reading it, the older man lets a little snort out. 

“Oh, I see,” Bucky says and slips into the bed next to the child. Wrapping his arm around the child, settled down and whispered; “We have a long day in the morning, sleep well...Frost.”

* * *

“Come on, we gotta get going.” 

Bucky looked at the child that had wrapped his frame around the man’s leg. He wondered how comfortable the child is with most of his body hanging off of a single leg? Bucky knew that he didn’t like it. The boy is making him feel lopsided. And all this is cause he didn’t want to leave the farm. 

“I know you don’t want to go, but I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. I don’t want you here all day on your own.” Bucky knows he sounds like a hypocrite for saying that. He’s left the boy only on the farm many times before. But, after what had happened with Steve…

“Don’t give me that look.” Bucky groaned as the boy gave him a look that’s a mix of upset and ‘Are you serious?! I’m not a baby!’ 

After a few minutes of grumbles and prying the child from his leg, Bucky and the boy were on their way. Bucky knew that since he and the boy—Frost— lived on the outskirts, it’ll take a few hours for them to reach the market. There they’ll have lunch and meet up with some of the Dora Milaje, who will lead them to the King. 

“I’m not sure if I can take you with me when I see the King, but if I can't...then stay close to one of the Dora Milaje. Okoye or Nakia if possible.” Bucky noted Frost nodding but leaned into his leg as they walked. Bucky knows that Frost is not a fan of having to leave him for extended periods. But, it's that’s what they're working on. “Also, please behave. No funny business like on the farm. Am I clear?” 

Bucky hums when the boy nods. He may not trust the boy to not get himself into a situation, but at least he did give him a warning. So, hopefully, that’ll help the boy think a bit before doing something stupid. 

Or at least assisting someone in something stupid. 

“So, did you get tired of playing the name game?” 

Bucky looks down as Frost titles his head to him. The boy gives a crut nod and turns his attention back to the path ahead of them. The boy’s metal hand had some of the pant cloth that Bucky wore, which didn’t bother the older man. Letting Frost hold onto his pants is better than having the child latched on his leg.

“Surprised you didn’t give up in a few days. I wouldn’t have lasted a week.” 

Frost snorted out a laugh, which caused Bucky to roll his eyes. But the older man is pleased with the child’s reaction. Knowing that Frost can still find something funny to laugh at helps reassure Bucky of the child's growth. Or it’s just a way to cover up his nervousness.

“Not funny you little punk.” Bucky snorted, raising a brow when the boy sticks his tongue out. “Don’t make me catch your tongue.” 

Soon the two have made it to the market. Bucky knows of a nice mom-and-pop’s diner that he’s been to before and wonders if the boy would like it. So, that’s where they headed for breakfast. After the fact that Bucky had to drag Frost from the candy shop that had the lollipops. Though, Bucky did promise he'll let the boy choose a pop if he behaves. 

Bucky and Frost had a nice hefty breakfast from the mom-and-pop's diner. The boy had hidden against Bucky as people went about their business. Some stopped by to meet Frost, but politely left or turned their attention to Bucky when the boy didn’t want to. Once their food had arrived, Bucky had to hold a snort in as Frost dove right into his meal. From how the boy eats, one would think he hasn’t had a meal in days. 

After breakfast, Bucky headed to the palace with the child trailing behind. Bucky knew that some of the Dora Milaje would meet them and escort them to the King. What had Bucky on edge is the fact that he didn’t know if Frost could be with him in the meeting. 

“Okoye it’s good to see you,” Bucky calls when he sees the warrior. 

“You as well, White Wolf.” The woman says nodding to the older man. Her gaze shifts to the boy, who now hides his body behind Bucky. “The child I’ve heard about.”

It’s not a question. 

“Yes, he’s a bit…” Bucky felt the boy pressed against the back of his legs. The stiffness can be felt let alone seen. Bucky knows he has to find a word that would help ease the tension. “...shy.”

“It’s fine,” Okoye says, her head nodding methodically. “The King awaits.”

“Right.” Bucky nods. He knows that Okoye is suspicious of the boy, but Bucky wanted to lighten the mood. “Do you know what His Majesty wants to speak to me about?” 

“I don’t know the pacifies. But I assume the King will want to speak about your treatment and housing.” Okoye says, motioning for them to enter the palace. Which Bucky and Frost did, though the latter needed a bit of encouragement. 

“Housing?” Bucky says as the group heads into the palace and is led to the King’s meeting room. “What’s wrong with my living arrangements?” 

“You and T’challa will have to speak on that,” Okoye says. Her voice is firm but gently. She turns her head to Bucky and says with a smile on her face. “I assure you, White Wolf, it’s nothing bad.” 

Bucky relaxed a little, though the thought of what T’challa wants to talk about has him nervous. Okoye says that it’s nothing bad, but Bucky can’t help but worry. The weight of the boy leaning into his side as they walked did bring Bucky back to the present moment. 

Patting the child’s head, Bucky whispered soothingly; “It’s ok, everything’s going to be okay.” 

“The Queen Mother had suggested the boy stay either in the garden. Or an old playroom that T’challa and Shuri used to play in.” Okoye motions to the child, who cowers behind Bucky’s leg. 

“That sounds like something Mother would suggest.” A voice behind the group startles them and Bucky turns his head. He’s met with the face of the young King and a woman. Bucky sighs and nods his head to the King, who nods back. Bucky turns his attention to Frost and gives the boy a comforting pat. 

“Sergeant Barnes.” The King says. 

“You’re Highness,” Bucky replies, letting a sigh out. 

The woman standing next to T’challa is someone Bucky has met a few times, Nakia. From the few times Bucky and the woman have met, the man has noticed how polite she is. Which Bucky liked, but he knows that she can be fierce and authoritative if needed. 

“Okoye. White Wolf.” Nakia says, nodding to the receptive person. 

“Nakia, it’s good to see you,” Bucky says, a smile on his face. Indeed he’s happy to see her. He knows that Nakia is business with the Social Outreach Department, with her being the head and all. But, Bucky had a feeling that Nakia and the King had a little...spark. At least that’s what Bucky though from previous looks he had caught the two giving to each other. 

“Likewise, White Wolf,” Nakia says, smiling at the man. She turned her head to the boy on his leg and crouched down. “Who’s this?” 

“White Wolf’s son,” T’challa says, which startled Bucky a bit. Though he did consider the boy as his own, he’s never heard someone say that aloud. Or said it aloud himself. 

“Oh, this is who the Queen Mother was talking about.” Nakia straightens herself and faces the King. 

“Yes.” T’challa nods then turn to Bucky and the boy. “Nakia can you take the boy and look over him until Barnes and I are finished?” 

“Yes, I can,” Nakia said. 

Bucky knew by the King’s expression that Frost wouldn’t be able to go into the room. Though Bucky wanted the boy to stay with him, he couldn’t. The meeting could have confidential topics that the boy shouldn’t know about.

Bucky leaned down and patted the boy’s head. “I have to speak with the King, ok? After we’re done I’ll come and get you. So, behave, alright.” 

The boy looked up and nodded. Bucky knew that Frost didn’t want to leave him, but the two didn’t have a choice. So he handed the boy off to Nakia, though Frost was reluctant to take her hand. But, he did after a bit of encouragement from Bucky. 

“Good. I won’t belong.” Bucky promised to Frost, who he patted on the head for the umpteenth time. 

“Shall we?” T’challa asks, his hand motioned to the open doors of the meeting room. 

“Let’s get this going.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bucky may or may not regret asking if he could take Frost into the meeting room.   
> RIP everyone soon.


End file.
